


Second Chances

by FelinaTheDevil



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst, Banter, Bayverse Megatron is done with Optimus’ scrap, Bayverse has a lot of violence, Brotherly Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Corruption, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cybertronian Senate (Transformers), Dark Energon, Dimension Travel, Empurata, Father-Son Relationship, High Council, Kinda?, Matrix of Leadership (Transformers), Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Optimus and Megatron are brothers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Possessed Optimus, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Quintus Prime is a douche, Regaining emotions, Royal Titles, Royalty, Shockwave is a very confused insecure boi, Slow Burn, The Prime Universe is PG compared to Bayverse, Unspoken Love, descending into madness, references to comics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21564604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelinaTheDevil/pseuds/FelinaTheDevil
Summary: Haunted by his memories, Primus gives Optimus and Megatron a second chance to right their wrongs and stop a war in another dimension. Agreeing instantly, Optimus and Megatron travel to the Prime Universe with a youngling Bumblebee. Together, will they be able to help both themselves and this new dimension, or will history repeat itself?Cross-posted on FF.net
Relationships: Bumblebee & Optimus Prime, Megatron & Optimus Prime, Megatron/Starscream, Optimus Prime/Shockwave, Past Elita One/Optimus Prime
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Before you start, I do have some quick facts to go over. I don't know what happens in TF5 and I'll mostly ignore the movie when it comes out- I'll add tidbits and all that, but I don't want to change the plans I have for this fanfic too much. Anyway, some facts you need to know (Which will help explain some things in this chapter):
> 
> 1\. Optimus and Megatron are brothers
> 
> 2\. Bumblebee is Optimus' adopted son, and Megatron's nephew
> 
> 3\. Optimus is tainted by Primus and Unicron. Megatron is tainted by Unicron
> 
> 4\. Optimus and Megatron are Knights. Bumblebee is a Knight-in-training (well, was- he's a youngling now)
> 
> 5\. Optimus, since he is tainted by Unicron, will sometimes have Unicron talking in his mind, or get chest pain because of Unicron trying to mentally take over Optimus. Optimus can't go near the TFP Matrix because of the Dark Energon that used to be in him, and also from having Unicron in his processor; when ever he goes near his counterpart, the Matrix in his chest will activate briefly, causing him massive chest pain- the closer he gets to TFP Optimus, the more the pain intensifies (the Matrix in his chest is offlined as a result of Unicron). TFP Optimus will end up with a dull throb in his spark chamber, though it is very easy to ignore. Megatron, since he did used to have Dark Energon in him, will also end up with a dull throb in his spark chamber (though not as bad- it is barely noticeable).
> 
> I hope that helps! If you have any questions and/or ideas, don't be afraid to drop them by! With that out of the way, onto the story!~

_Optimus Prime stood before the Creator itself, its purple-blue orb glowing brightly and illuminating the silver room. The metal walls moved slowly, curling this way and that, creating stories of Cybertronians from the beginning of time._

_"Your world is dying, Optimus Prime," the Creator said, her voice reminding Optimus of a Carrier telling their sparkling an enchanting story. "Do you seek redemption?"_

_Optimus could feel the Matrix trying to mentally break free, but Unicron held firm, pushing the Primes away; pushing Optimus with them. Optimus fought back, but it was useless- Unicron had already started to speak._

_"My Creator," Unicron rumbled in Optimus' voice, optics flashing red before going back to purple, "I do."_

_~0o.o0~_

_"Forgive me," Optimus whispered. He watched as the blade - his blade, controlled by Unicron - plunged deep into Bumblebee's spark chamber, the blue optics offlining instantly. He could vaguely hear people screaming; Cade's was the loudest. Optimus tried to fight back, trying to get control over his body once more, but Unicron was too powerful._

_He barely noticed his blade transforming into a shotgun, but the sound of it firing caused him to look just as it hit Cade's chest, leaving a gaping hole. A small, choked sound escaped the human - the human that had healed him, protected him, and saved his life - and he fell, eyes lifeless and face slack with surprise and horror._

No! _Optimus screamed inside his processor, the word coming out of his lips in a static choked rumble. Unicron's laughter was the only reply, moving Optimus' body onto the next victim._

_~0o.o0~_

_"My brother would never do this," Megatron stated, red optics boring into Optimus' purple._

_Before Unicron could stop him, Optimus pushed through the mental barriers and said, "Unicron is."_

_Unicron mentally shoved Optimus, leaving the Prime to inwardly cry out as he felt himself be mentally shoved aside. Furious, Unicron moved forward, drawing Optimus' sword and running towards Megatron._

_Megatron blocked the slash easily, sending in his own blow with a closed servo and causing Optimus to stagger back. Taking the advantage, Megatron darted forward, servo transforming and plunging his blade into Optimus. Anger coursed through Megatron when he realised he missed. Using his other servo to grab the Prime's shoulder, he jerked the blade up, tearing through the metal and finally piercing into the spark chamber._

_A strangled cry escaped Optimus, completely taken by surprise on how quick Megatron had moved. Body sagging, he could feel each part of him offlining. His optics stared up at Megatron, and with a strained smile, he said, "Thank you, brother."_

_~0o.o0~_

_"You fought well, Optimus Prime," Primus said, looking down at Optimus._

And I still failed _, Optimus thought bitterly._

_"As did you, Megatron."_

_Optimus' head jerked up and to the side, finally noticing Megatron. The Warlord looked back at Optimus, a small smile gracing his lips as he said, "Unicron doesn't frag around, brother."_

_Optimus couldn't help but chuckle, and surprised them both by stepping towards Megatron and hugging him. Arms tightening around Megatron's torso, Optimus rested his helm against Megatron's chassis, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."_

_Hugging him back, Megatron murmured, "It wasn't your fault, little brother." Optimus looked up at him, going to argue, but Megatron wasn't finished. "I forgive you. And... And I hope you can forgive me for what I did when I was under the influence of Unicron, too. I'm sorry."_

_"We were both forced to do things we didn't want to do," Optimus replied, letting Megatron go as he smiled up at him. "I forgive you."_

_Megatron's smile widened slightly in response, and both looked to Primus, who said, "I am glad you both finally have found your peace."_

_"Is it time to go to the Well of Allsparks?" Optimus asked, azure optics gazing up at Primus._

_"It will probably be the Pit for me," Megatron muttered._

_Optimus let out a vent. "The same would be for me, brother."_

_"Neither of you are going to the Well of Allsparks, or the Pit," Primus answered, and at the confused looks, he continued. "There is another dimension with the same autobots and decepticons, and the same war. Unicron will soon come upon them, and they will need all the help they can get. This is your chance to right your wrongs, and to become what you once were- the leaders of Cybertron. Will you take this chance?"_

_"Yes," both replied instantly._

_Primus smiled. "Then I will send you there. But first, there is one more thing- I can allow you to bring one more bot with you. Who will it be?"_

_"What's the catch?" Megatron asked, optics narrowing, paranoia gnawing at his tanks. Optimus couldn't blame him._

_"The bot will be a youngling," Primus answered simply._

_"Bumblebee," Optimus said, looking to Megatron, who nodded in agreement._

_"Then it is decided. Good luck, and till all are one, my children."_


	2. Decisions

Azure optics blinked, assessing the setting around him. The area around him was pitch black, but the glow of his optics revealed they were in a cave. Slowly, Optimus stood up, noticing Megatron beside him, holding a youngling Bumblebee.

Megatron looked up at Optimus. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," Optimus replied automatically, earning a raised optic-ridge. Ignoring the look coming from his brother, he asked, "How is Bumblebee?"

"Recharging," Megatron answered, keeping his voice low. "I have already sent out a message to your counterpart and his autobots two clicks ago- they shouldn't be too long now."

Nodding absentmindedly, Optimus leaned against the rocky wall, crossing his arms and shifting so the rocks didn't dig into any cables. Everything still felt so surreal, and he wondered if this was real, or just one of Unicron's sadistic games. It wouldn't be the first time, and the thought made his tainted spark twist, leaving his tanks churning and for a moment he felt like he would purge.

"Would you like to hold Bumblebee?" Megatron asked softly, breaking the silence.

_His blade plunged into Bumblebee's spark chamber, his optics – once so full of innocence and mischief – offlining within a click. But before they did, he could see clearly the betrayal in his scout's optics. Unicron's cruel laughter echoing in his processor…_

"I…" Optimus reset his static-filled vocaliser a few times, finally managing to utter, "You can hold him."

Megatron's optics softened with sympathy, unconsciously tightening his hold slightly on Bumblebee, swaying gently. Bumblebee shifted slightly in response, a low mechanical purr escaping him. Optimus watched with a twisted spark as Megatron smiled softly at Bumblebee, and the pain left a hollow feeling inside Optimus, allowing the chance for dark, shadowed thoughts to creep into his processor.

_You killed him,_ a familiar voice whispered, sadistic pleasure clear in each word. _An innocent youngling, one who has barely lived a long life. Offlined, because you weren't strong enough. A loyal, brave scout, who wanted nothing more than to follow in his Sire's pedes… Betrayed by the mech he looked up to, murdered by his own kin._

_Shut up!_ Optimus snarled back mentally.

Dark, echoing laughter was the only response.

"Optimus, are you sure you're alright?" Megatron asked, optics narrowing in concern.

"I will be fine." It wasn't an exact lie- with time, Optimus was sure, he would be better.

Before Megatron could say anything further, a swirling green, yellow and blue light appeared. Optimus' sword was in his servos before he could register, body moving to a defensive position. Megatron took a step towards his brother, one arm holding Bumblebee protectively while the other transformed into a cannon, pointing at the light.

Four figures appeared, all of them raising their own weapons when they saw the two Knights. Optimus could feel the Matrix, which had been violently offlined by Unicron, stir, causing pain through his chassis. He suppressed his wince as best as he could, and was thankful when no bot noticed.

Upon noticing the autobot symbols, Megatron and Optimus lowered their weapons. Transforming his cannon back to an arm, he held it up in surrender. "My apologies, I thought you may have been somebot else. We had a rough time when coming here."

The blue and red bot, who must have been Optimus' counterpart, lowered his weapon. "It is alright. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the autobots. This is Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee." He gestured to each one as he said their names.

Megatron smiled, revealing some of his sharp denta. "A pleasure to meet you. Before we tell you our designations, I must tell you that we are not from this dimension."

"Not from this dimension?" Arcee parroted, frowning as her optics narrowed in suspicion.

"We were sent here from another dimension by Primus," Megatron explained. "My designation is Megatron, and the bot next to me is Optimus Prime. The youngling I am holding is Bumblebee."

"Prove it," Bulkhead said.

Deciding to take over, the flamed Prime stepped forward, wincing again as the pain went from a dull throb to feeling like it was slightly piercing his spark chamber. "We are telling the truth. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the autobots. As you can tell, my counterpart and I are very similar, though he doesn't have the flame design. We also have the same voice."

Bulkhead faltered, and looked to his leader helplessly. Looking to his flamed counterpart, the other Optimus asked, "Why did Primus send you here?"

"For a second chance, and to stop yet another war," Megatron answered. "Our task is to destroy Unicron, bring peace upon the autobots and deceptions, and restore Cybertron. Please, we mean you no harm- we simply need somewhere to stay, and keep Bumblebee healthy."

The non-flamed Prime was quiet for a moment, finally saying, "You can come with us. Let us go."

"Thank you," Megatron replied, following the four autobots into the ground bridge, Optimus not far behind. He was relieved when the pain started to fade back to a dull throb, leaving him wondering what caused it. As they entered the base, a small disgusted sneer graced Megatron's dermas when he spotted the three human children.

Optimus took one glance at the children, but otherwise ignored them. Putting his sword away, he leaned against one of the walls with his arms crossed, Megatron doing the same next to him. The flamed Prime made sure to keep a good distance from his counterpart, thinking the pain from before might be a result from the Matrix of this dimension.

"Who are you guys?" The human female asked, all but jumping with excitement as she looked at them. "Is that a baby bot? Is it yours? What's his name? Are y-"

"We are from another dimension, yes, though it is called a youngling, who is my adopted son and he's named Bumblebee," Optimus answered shortly, ignoring the surprised looks.

"Another dimension?" The girl exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "What are your names?"

"I am Optimus Prime, and this is Megatron," he answered, annoyance tinging his voice.

"Wow! I'm Miko, and this is Raf and Jack." The girl, Miko, gestured to the two other males.

"Pleasure," Optimus replied, the annoyance now very clear in his voice. He wasn't sure what annoyed him more- the bombardment of questions, the human girl's voice, or the dull throb coming from his spark chamber. It was a close tie to the first two, to be honest.

Feeling his brother's annoyance through the sibling bound, Megatron looked to the medic, wanting to make sure he was right in his assumptions. "You must be Autobot Medical Officer Ratchet, yes?"

The white and orange mech looked surprised for a moment, finally answering with, "I am."

Humming, Megatron looked to his brother's counterpart. "What is the history of this dimension?"

As the non-flamed Prime, who Optimus decided to call Orion, explained everything that had happened in their universe, the two Knights listened with rapt attention.

When he finished, Megatron commented, "This dimension is much different from ours."

"How so?" Orion asked, helm tilting slightly.

"Back before the war, I was the leader of the science division, which studied the Allspark, and we were protected by Lord High Protector Megatron's military," Optimus explained. "We were both students of Sentinel Prime, and brother-in-arms."

"Until I overheard Sentinel and Optimus, which is when I found out Optimus was a descendant of a Prime," Megatron added. "I grew jealous, which gave The Fallen the perfect chance to manipulate me. I ignored him, but then I had gone out to investigate an old mine and I met Unicron, who drove me to insanity. I was corrupted by Dark Energon, left to serve Megatronous Prime and revive the Decepticons."

It was quiet, until a whimper broke the brooding silence. Megatron gently rocked the whimpering Bumblebee, looking to the autobots. "Have you any Energon I can borrow?"

"I'll get it," Arcee said, moving quickly.

Megatron looked to his younger brother, noticing he was slouching slightly. "You should go and get healed, brother."

Optimus couldn't find it in himself to argue, but he did anyway. "I am fine."

"You do realise that you have a gaping wound on your torso, yes?"

"It is only the mid-section plating," Optimus argued, placing a servo over it, as if he could hide it.

"It needs to be fixed," Megatron argued back, and looked to Ratchet. "Could you fix him, please?"

"I am fine," Optimus insisted, and winced when Megatron poked his torso. "Ow."

"It needs to be fixed- go sit on the medical berth," Megatron ordered, nudging his brother gently.

Scowling, Optimus glared up at his older brother, refusing to listen. He didn't care at the moment how childish he was acting- his spark chamber hurt, he was tired and faintly feeling Unicron in his processor was starting to anger him. "The only reason it hurt was because you poked it."

"I don't care- as your brother, it is my duty to make sure you are well-"

"I can see from the past few vorns that worked," Optimus cut in sarcastically, ignoring the glare he received, as well as the shocked looks.

"- and that you don't make stupid decisions," Megatron finished. "And considering that you are not fine, I have elected to ignore you and leave you in the servos of Ratchet. But before that is done, Optimus and I would like to have a private word with you, Ratchet."

Ratchet looked surprised, but finally nodded. "Of course. Follow me to the main medical room; we can speak there privately."


	3. Medics

"What do I need to know?" Ratchet asked as soon as the door closed, getting straight to the point.

_So much like the medic who died for you in vain,_ Unicron whispered, and Optimus had to use all his willpower to ignore the chaos god.

"I would rather you not let the others know of what you find when fixing Optimus," Megatron requested, instantly taking charge. "Anyway, as a medic, you have to keep it private and to only be talked about between yourself and your patient."

Ratchet's optics narrowed. "And what will I find?"

"Dark Energon," Optimus answered. "I was previously tainted by Dark Energon, and the Matrix is currently offline. Though, it does seem to start activating whenever I'm near my counterpart. I think it might be because of his Matrix. It is… Uncomfortable," he added, voice quiet.

Ratchet frowned. "How was the Matrix offlined?"

Sensing that Optimus was uncomfortable, Megatron cut in. "That doesn't matter. Just fix him and don't tell the others what you find."

"Please, Ratchet," Optimus added, upon seeing that Ratchet was going to argue. "It… It would not do well for them to know everything."

"Then what should I tell them when you start looking like you are in pain when you're next to your counterpart?" Ratchet demanded, servos on his hips.

"Tell them…" Optimus faltered, thinking it over. "Tell them that the Matrix's signal is different from theirs, like two magnets- they cannot go near each other without hurting the other."

"My Optimus didn't seem to be in pain," Ratchet pointed out.

"You seem to be forgetting that Optimus is very good at hiding his pain," Megatron countered.

"I would argue, but my brother does have a point," Optimus said, letting out a small vent to show he was sighing. Another trait he had picked up from humans.

_The humans you killed,_ Unicron added with sadistic pleasure.

Optimus' servo clenched slightly, another deep vent escaping him. Upon feeling the concern from his brother through the sibling bond, he sent a wave of reassurance, which relaxed Megatron slightly.

"Well, since this conversation is over and I trust you won't tell anybot," Megatron said, walking to the doors, "I will be taking my leave. Bumblebee is hungry."

As the doors closed behind Megatron, Bumblebee let out a mechanical gurgle upon seeing Arcee holding a cube of energon, bright blue optics opening and servos reaching for the cube. Smiling, Arcee held out the cube, Megatron taking it and feeding Bumblebee, the youngling purring in content.

Felling the questioning optics, Megatron looked at the other bots, raising an optic-ridge. "Are you going to ask a question, or just stare at us?"

That caused some of them to jump to Megatron's amusement, but the non-flamed Prime didn't. Finally, the older Bumblebee let out a few beeps. _Why is my counterpart a youngling?_

Megatron's spark twisted, knowing why Bumblebee couldn't use his voice. "Primus allowed us to bring one bot with us, though they would have to be a youngling."

"Does his voice box work?" Arcee asked, quite rudely.

Megatron couldn't help but flinch, answering softly, "Yes, it does. I…" He looked to his Bee's counterpart. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, Bumblebee. In my dimension, I was driven insane because of Unicron- otherwise, I would never have hurt my nephew. And on behalf of what my counterpart has done to you, I'm sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me for my actions, and for what I did- but I hope that maybe one day, we could at least have a friendly relationship."

All of them looked stunned- Megatron, leader of the decepticons and a _tyrant_ , had just apologised. Megatron, for his part, ignored them in favour of making sure his Bumblebee didn't fall as the youngling was squirming. Taking the now empty cube away and onto a table, Megatron couldn't help but smile as Bumblebee started to crawl up his arm, optics focused intently on his horns.

Now on Megatron's shoulder, the youngling grabbed a horn, forcing Megatron to tilt his helm. "Pway! Pway!"

Chuckling, Megatron made a grab for Bumblebee, but the youngling climbed onto his back, letting go of the horn for a moment. As soon as he was stable, he placed a servo each on a horn, giggling. Megatron sighed. "Bumblebee, please, let go of my hor- ow!"

Little Bumblebee burst out laughing, tightening his grip a bit more as Megatron winced. "Wanna pway!"

"I can see that," Megatron commented dryly, reaching over and behind him to grab Bumblebee- luckily enough, he was able to grab the youngling and get him away from his horns. "I'd rather you not play with my horns- that hurts."

"Sorry uncle," little Bee mumbled, optics widening.

_I'm getting soft in my old age,_ Megatron thought as his spark melted. "It's ok- why don't you say hello to the others?" As he said that, he placed Bee on the ground, turning him around so he faced the amused and shocked bots.

Little Bee grinned at the bots, hobbling over to the closest- Arcee. Holding his arms out to her, he chirped, "Up! Up! Up!"

Arcee smiled warmly, picking the youngling up, who instantly cuddled into the femme's chassis, purring. "Aww."

Megatron laughed, smiling as he heard the med bay doors opening. He glanced at the two bots- Ratchet was frowning, obviously in deep thought, while Optimus looked no better. The concern Megatron already felt increased, giving his brother a questioning look- Optimus only smiled reassuringly in response, but Megatron knew better.

_We're having a talk later,_ Megatron sent over the sibling bond, watching as Arcee played with little Bee, Bulkhead and the other Bee crowding around them.

Stopping next to his brother, Optimus sent back, _there is no need to talk._

Megatron didn't respond, though his affectionate annoyance was clear through the bond. Optimus was amused by it.

"You both seem to be adjusting quickly," Orion mused, now standing next to Megatron's other side. The warlord inwardly cursed at not noticing the Prime move.

"We're good at adapting," Megatron answered, doing his best to ignore the sudden memories crossing his processor.

Orion only hummed in response, watching as Ratchet joined the group.

"We'll need to organise a meeting with this dimension's Megatron," Optimus stated, crossing his arms. "Hopefully, he isn't as thick-headed as my brother here."

"I resent that," Megatron scowled. "Do not use human insults on me."

"Fine, allow me to change my sentence- Hopefully, this dimension's Megatron isn't as half-clocked as my brother here," Optimus retorted, smirking.

Megatron glared down at his brother. "Shut it, bit-brain."

"Good to see your insults are improving, just like your ability to tell the difference between a turbo-fox and turbo-dog," Optimus stated, smirk widening as he looked up at Megatron. Orion was watching the pair with a mixture of shock and amusement- correction, all the bots were.

"That was one time!"

"Actually, it was two times."

"When was the second time?"

"We were in Iacon- you got so polished, you chased a turbo-dog, yelling that it was a turbo-fox and that it had to be killed," Optimus deadpanned.

"Like you're any better when you're polished, Prime," Megatron grumbled, crossing his arms. "If I remember correctly, you once got so polished that you walked up to Elita-1 and-"

Optimus instantly placed a servo over his brother's mouth, glaring at him. "Be quiet." He drew his servo back quickly when he felt something wet on it. "You licked me!"

Megatron grinned, completely smug. "That's what you get."

"You're disgusting," Optimus grumbled, looking down when he felt something hit his leg. Little Bumblebee was holding his servos out, clearly wanting to be picked up, but Optimus hesitated.

_Why the hesitation?_ Unicron taunted. _Afraid you'll murder him in cold blood again?_

Ignoring the voice, Optimus picked up Bee, cradling the youngling to his chassis. He glanced up at his brother. "Shall we organise a meeting with your counterpart?"

"… Tomorrow," Megatron decided. "It is getting late, and we have had a long day." A small sneer graced his lips as he glanced at the children. "The fleshlings will need to be sent home."

"Who are you calling fleshling, tin can?" Miko demanded, hands on her hips.

Megatron looked down at her, raising an optic-ridge. "Clearly, I am talking about you and your two friends… Though, your pheromone levels suggest you want to be more than friends with one of the males."

Raf and Jack choked, while Miko's eyes widened and she began to splutter. Finally, she yelled, "I do not!"

"You can't lie to us," Optimus replied, smirking. "We can _smell_ it."

"That's kinda creepy, man," Miko muttered.

Optimus shrugged in response. "Be glad we are not medics- Ratchet's first words on Earth were quite amusing."

"What were his first words on Earth?" Megatron asked, intrigued. "I need blackmail on your medic."

"Ratchet said, and I quote, 'the boy's pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female'," Optimus answered, interpreting Ratchet's voice almost flawlessly. The Prime smiled when he heard the children burst out laughing, Bumblebee, Arcee and Bulkhead joining in. Ratchet was silent, obviously stuck on a reply. The only evidence that Orion was amused was the ghost of a smile.

"Well, we best recharge," Optimus said. "We have a long day tomorrow."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I should also warn you- the next chapter will be angsty, so be prepared! May require tissues, depending how sensitive you are... There is a reason it is rated T! *evil cackling***


	4. Nightmares

_Flashing lights. Gun shots. Screams. Bodies blurring together-_

_Denial. Despair. Betrayal. Why did he do this?_

_"Elita!"_

_Elita-One, lying motionless on the ground, smoke escaping her chassis. Those beautiful, breathtaking bright blue optics replaced with a dull grey colour. Their bound suddenly perished…_

_A black and yellow bot, face inches from Optimus' own. Those innocent blue optics widening, betrayal etched into his features. A static gurgle. Optics dimming… Cruel, dark laughter echoing._

_"A shame he had to die," Unicron murmured. "He would have made a useful servant."_

_"NO!"_

Optimus onlined with a start, sitting up and battle-mask clicking into place swiftly. His sword was in his servo in an instant, body moving before his processor could register.

Servos grabbed his arms. Alarmed, Optimus fought back, snarling in anger.

"Optimus! Its ok, no bot is hurt! Calm down." Megatron's voice.

_"JOIN THEM IN EXTINCTION!"_

Optimus snarled, using his whole body to push Megatron away. The mech staggered back, falling down as Optimus swung his sword with a cry-

Only to freeze as he felt fear through two bounds.

Slowly, Megatron got up, warily watching Optimus like he was a dangerous animal. Optimus stared back at Megatron in silent horror, his raised arm lowering. Guilt twisted around his spark, and his sword dropped to the ground with a reverberating clang. The sound snapped him back to reality, and he staggered back, legs hitting the berth and causing him to sit onto it heavily.

"Optimus?" Megatron asked softly, concerned- but he didn't make a move towards the horrified Knight.

_You were so close to murdering your brother in cold blood,_ Unicron taunted.

Overwhelmed, Optimus stood up and staggered to the door. "I… I need… To be... Alone…"

The door swished open. Optimus stumbled down the hallway, clutching the wall for support. Mechanical sobs threatened to escape, but Optimus stubbornly refused to cry. As the main room came into view, he transformed, accelerating out of the base as quickly as he could.

~0o.o0~

Megatron scooped up the crying Bee, cradling the youngling to his chassis and letting out comforting clicks. He walked out of the room, noticing all the other bots also standing in the hallway.

_What happened?_ Bumblebee beeped, looking around. _And where is the other Optimus?_

"He had a nightmare," Megatron answered quietly, earning confused looks. They turned into shock after they looked up the word.

"Should we go after him?" Arcee asked worriedly, glancing at her Optimus who was frowning in concern.

"No. He needs some time alone," Megatron replied, gently rocking Bee. "If he is not back in a few hours, I will go after him. As of now, all of you go back to recharge."

All the bots went back to their rooms, except for Orion who looked at Megatron. "Does my counterpart get nightmares regularly?"

"Optimus has had nightmares for eons," Megatron answered truthfully, keeping his voice low so he didn't upset Bee. "He has always been good at hiding them. To see him that distraught, to react like that… It must have been truly horrifying."

"I heard snarling, as well as somebot falling down," Orion stated, hesitating for a moment. Finally, he continued, "Did… Did my counterpart attack you?"

Megatron felt a pang of sympathy when he heard the obvious pain in Orion's words. "An expected reaction for a battle-hardened warrior, as you should know. Recharge is always short and light- we are always prepared to attack if needed. Do not feel guilty for how your counterpart reacted, or worry if you will do the same- it is a normal reaction, for bots like us."

Orion was quiet, optic-ridge's furrowing- an obvious sign he was thinking over the words.

"Go and recharge," Megatron ordered softly, giving him a reassuring smile. "He will be fine, as will you. Soon, the war will be over and we can restore Cybertron. All that is left to do is to change my counterpart's mind, and defeat Unicron." Megatron chuckled, adding, "And Optimus wasn't wrong- I am quite thick headed."

Orion smiled at that. "It will put my spark to rest to see the war over."

"Agreed," Megatron said, smiling. "Now, off to recharge with you- good night."

"Good night," Orion echoed, disappearing into his room.

Megatron sighed, looking down at Bee. "Tomorrow will be quite the handful."

Bee gurgled in response.

~0o.o0~

His HUD buzzed with the same warning- **Low on Energon**. Optimus kept driving, not caring in the slightest. How much time had passed? An hour? Two?

Another warning popped up- **Decepticon signals.** Internally frowning, Optimus checked where he was- in the middle of the desert. There was no sign of human life.

_Predicting the future a bit too early, hm?_ Unicron murmured.

Optimus ignored Unicron's words, instead trying to work out which decepticons were coming his way. The signals were steadily making its way behind him, and Optimus checked through his side view mirrors. Barricade, and four clones. _How did Barricade get here?_

Without warning, missiles were fired from one of the Vehicons. Optimus dodged them easily, swerving around and transforming when Barricade was close enough. The collision sent Optimus into the unforgiving ground, his lack of energon seeming to intensify the pain. They rolled, landing blows across each other's bodies.

Finally, Optimus managed to get up, staggering back. His body was obviously tired, but Optimus didn't dare pause- pausing at a time like this could cost him his life. Transforming his servo into a blade, Optimus charged at the four clones running towards him, killing them all in one swing. Energon sprayed onto him, but he barely noticed.

Barricade stayed where he was standing, his defences lowering slightly, watching the Knight warily. Optimus took a step forward, and like a switch Barricade made up his mind- he transformed and fled, tires squealing and dust flying. Optimus scowled.

_A shame, I was enjoying the show,_ Unicron said, his disappointment clear.

_Shut up!_ Optimus snarled back, transforming the blade back into a servo, engine revving. Suddenly, he fell onto one knee- his lack of energon was starting to take a physical affect. Overcome with dizziness, the Knight placed a servo on the ground to steady himself, chassis heaving slightly. His cooling fans clicked on with a whirr, trying to cool down his body- he needed to get out of the sun.

Abruptly, a dull pain flared in his chassis. Optimus barely caught the words, too caught up in trying not to fall into statis.

"Are you alright?"

Optimus almost laughed at his counterpart's question, but instead winced. Shakily, he slowly stood up- only to fall back down with a grunt. "I'll be fine."

Orion drew closer, and Optimus had to bite his glossa to stop from crying out- the pain in his chassis increased tenfold, his body curling into itself slightly. He struggled to speak. "Pl… Please, do not come too close. My Matrix and yours seem to be causing great pain whenever they are too close to each other."

"My apologies." The pede's stepped back, and Optimus relaxed when the pain was now only a dull throb. "I'll get Ratchet."

Optimus couldn't bring himself to argue, and nodded instead, focusing intently on not collapsing.

_Quite pathetic you are,_ Unicron said, amused. _Sentinel would be ashamed._

Shame and anger flared up. _Shut up._

_Is that the only thing you're going to say to me?_ Unicron sounded offended. _Hmph, maybe I should go and possess somebot else- maybe Bumblebee?_

_Stay away from him._

_He won't be the same Bee you raised, Optimus. He will change._

_What do you mean?_

Unicron didn't answer, and Optimus could feel his presence in the back of his processor- there, but too far away to reach. His annoyance and anger increased tenfold.

"Optimus!" A familiar voice shouted, large silver arms gently helping the Knight up. "Are you alright?"

"My energon is low," Optimus confessed, leaning heavily into his brother as they walked to the portal.

"Half-clock." The tone was affectionate, even though Optimus could feel the annoyance and worry across the sibling bond.

Optimus only hummed in response. As they entered the base and all the bots looked at him, Optimus could feel his shame and embarrassment heightening. Megatron sent a wave of reassurance over the bond, but it only helped Optimus a bit.

"Glitch," Ratchet scowled, rushing over to the two Knights. "What happened?"

"I'm low on energon," Optimus said.

"Were you attacked?" Arcee asked. "You're covered in energon."

"I was intercepted by Barricade and four Vehicons. Barricade managed to get away." Optimus sat on the medical berth, accepting the cube of energon Megatron gave him.

"And the four Vehicons?" Bulkhead asked.

Optimus raised an optic-ridge, and gestured to his energon-coated chassis. "Well, they're obviously offlined."

Silence.

"What?" Optimus asked, slightly confused. _It's almost like they haven't heard or seen a bot offline another…_ Realization dawned on him. _Autobots are meant to give second chances, and try to find a way around offlining other bots. Scrap._

"How did Barricade arrive here?" Megatron asked, changing the subject.

Optimus was grateful. "I do not know; he fled before I could question him."

"Who's Barricade?" Bulkhead asked.

"He was one of my soldiers," Megatron answered. "One of the best, too. And if he was with those vehicons, then he has joined my counterpart."

"You might be able to convince him to join you again," Optimus mused. "But, you have technically sided with the autobots."

"Neither of us are autobots, nor decepticons. We are Knights, and that is where our loyalties lay," Megatron stated, only to pause. "Well, your loyalties lay with both the Knights and the Dynasty."

Optimus had to force himself not to wince.

_I wonder how he would react to knowing that you are the one responsible for the Dynasty being offlined_ , Unicron taunted, his smirk clear through his words. _Or the fact that you both are not actually brothers. Do you plan to tell them that your Creator is a Quintesson? That you are not as pure as everybot thinks you are?_

_It was your fault,_ Optimus argued, his features twitching into a small snarl. _And it matters not who created me- I will always be loyal to Cybertron, to my home._

"Optimus?" A servo landed on Optimus' shoulder, and the Prime glanced up to the worried optics of Megatron. "You do not look well. Maybe you should go and rest while I deal with my counterpart."

Optimus shook his head, standing up. "No, I shall accompany you."

"Actually, while you were gone, Starscream provided us with coordinates to a decepticon mine." Arcee crossed her arms, annoyed. "Not that I wouldn't jump at any chance to put Airachnid down, but she isn't the only one who's robbed me of a partner."

Optimus looked at her, nodding in sympathy. "Do not worry, Arcee- I am sure you will have another chance to offline Starscream."

"Ah, my treacherous old friend," Megatron smirked. "I would love to help in his offlining. But till then, we will settle with offlining Airachnid."


	5. Broken Words

"Proceed with caution."

Optimus followed Orion. Megatron had changed his mind, deciding to stay at base to look after Bumblebee. Optimus had a feeling his older brother wished to not see his destructive self.

_He's not your brother_ , Unicron reminded.

Optimus ignored him, instead watching as Airachnid yelled, "Finish him!"

"Whoa!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Scream never mentioned Megatron."

"It would seem Starscream orchestrated this convergence in the hope that all his enemies would destroy each other on his behalf," Orion stated, optics narrowing.

"And I fell for it," Bulkhead scowled.

"Well, you can have whatever's left of Megatron," Arcee said, "Airachnid's mine." With that, she transformed and skidded away.

"Arcee! No!" Orion snapped, but she was already gone.

_Your counterpart lacks control over his soldiers_ , Unicron commented. Optimus silently agreed, though he did not let the Chaos God know.

Megatron, who Optimus dubbed Megatronous to save a processor ache, looked up at them. "So many surprises today."

Optimus unsheathed his sword, muttering to his counterpart, "Once the Insecticon is dealt with, allow me to deal with Megatronous. I have an idea."

Orion paused, eventually nodding in approval.

Optimus watched in slight boredom as Megatronous tore the Insecticon's arms and finally cut its head off, the warlord booming, "Let that be a warning to anyone who dares cross a gladiator of Kaon, be they Decepticon or Autobot."

Optimus couldn't help but snort, calling out as he jumped down, "Kaon? No wonder you're fighting technique is so dull!"

"Who are you?" Megatronous demanded, cannon pointed at the Knight. The warlord was at least a head shorter than Optimus.

"I am Optimus Prime- not the one from this dimension," Optimus added, smirking. "I am from another dimension, and have come here to negotiate."

Megatronous took a step forward, only to stumble and fall. His armour creaked. "It would seem that I'm unarmed and at your mercy. So, tell me, Optimus…" He looked up, optics narrowed in silent challenge. "Do you intend to take me alive? Or end this here and now?"

Gunshots filled the air. Snarling, Optimus grabbed Megatronous by the throat and held him against his body, sword at the con's throat. Vehicons and an unknown Mech appeared. It took Optimus a moment to realise it was Dreadwing.

"Deliver Megatron to us, and I will allow you to live," Dreadwing said, his hand-held cannon aimed at them.

Optimus glanced to his comrades, silently commanding them to stay where they were with a look. Thankfully, they stayed hidden.

Optimus looked to Dreadwing. "I will give Megatron back to you on one condition- we get an energon mine, without any of the autobots being hurt or offlined till we leave in our ground-bridge. In return, I will not harm Megatron throughout the ordeal."

"Dreadwing-"

Optimus cut Megatronous off by digging his sword into his neck. "That's enough out of you, Megatron. This negotiation is between Dreadwing and I." Optimus smirked at Dreadwing. "Well, Dreadwing? Do I have your word?"

Dreadwing was silent, looking between Megatronous and Optimus. Finally, he said, "Only if I have yours."

"You have my word. Your turn."

"You have my word."

Optimus' smirk widened, tightening his hold on Megatronous, who had begun struggling. "Good mech. Now, where is the closest mine?"

"Twenty miles from here."

"Lead on, then." Optimus glanced up, calling out, "It is safe."

Orion, Bulkhead and Bumblebee landed next to the Knight, following him as they all left the abandoned mine. Bulkhead was the first to break the silence. "We should just kick bucket head's bucket."

Optimus chuckled, chassis rumbling against Megatronous' back. The warlord was uncharacteristically quiet, for once. Optimus' voice came out as a purr, noticing as Megatronous and the decepticons stiffened slightly. "Why I would _love_ to tear out Megatron's spark, Bulkhead, I did give my word. But do not worry- there will always be another chance."

"I never caught your name," Dreadwing interrupted.

Optimus' mouth curled into a small sneer, annoyed at being interrupted. "My designation is Optimus Prime- I am from another dimension. A dimension where I have offlined Megatron twice, but the fragger has a habit of being revived. Don't you, brother dear?"

That caused Megatronous to react- he pushed hard against the Knight, but it was in vain. Optimus merely laughed and tightened his grip, the sword tracing over sensitive wires. Megatronous froze.

"Ah-ah," Optimus tutted, his grin turning slightly feral. "Careful, Megatron. You wouldn't want me to accidently hurt you, now would you?"

Dreadwing bristled. "You gave your word-"

"To not harm Megatron," Optimus stated, "but there was nothing on accidently hurting him, or taunting him. You should be more careful on making negotiations; a decepticon like yourself should be able to identify all the tricks used."

Dreadwing fell silent, obviously angry.

Optimus used the silence to his advantage. "You, Vehicon."

The closest one to Optimus jumped, pointing to himself. "M-me?"

_Oh great, they're bit-brains._ "Yes, you. What is your designation?"

"S-3-E-V-E, sir."

"Can I call you Steve? You can call me Optimus instead of sir," he offered.

"T-that's f-f-fine," Steve squeaked, and shook his head. "Calling me Steve is fine."

"Did you know the Megatron from my dimension came here with me?" That earnt a few shocked looks. "Oh, yes, he has. Actually, he happens to be a Cybertronian Knight just like me. He would have accompanied me, but the Bumblebee from my dimension, who is a sparkling, has been fussy lately. Sparkling are not easy to look after."

"Why would my counterpart join you?" Megatronous snarled, starting to struggle, but stopped.

_Good; he learns quickly._ "Because the Megatron in my dimension was driven insane by Unicron- but after we had been offlined, he was back to himself. He was the Megatron I had once respected- the mech who was known as the Lord High Protector of Cybertron. I was the leader of the Science Division, as well as his partner and brother. We protected Cybertron for many vorns."

"The Lord High Protector?" Megatronous repeated, shocked.

"Yes. You are nothing more than a low-ranking gladiator, correct? Hmph, nothing more than a disgrace. But I am sure that can be fixed… If you were to end this war."

_Sly manipulator,_ Unicron chuckled. _I see the technique you are using. Request something big, and they refuse. But when you request something smaller – the actual request you want – they will be more inclined to help. You would make a fine disciple, if it weren't for the fact you are not exactly of Cybertron. No, you were created by the ones who were the original Transformers, the ones who treated the Cybertronians as nothing more than slaves. Is that what you plan to do to these Vehicons? To the Autobots and Decepticons?_

Optimus' lips twitched, but otherwise stayed neutral. Instead, he focused on Megatronous' reply- "Never!"

"Then you will be offlined." Optimus' voice came out a bit too cheerful, but he didn't care. "Because the war will end, brother, whether you choose to help or not. Your counterpart is helping to end this war, so why don't you?"

"I will not admit defeat to _you_ ," Megatronous spat.

Optimus laughed, noticing that the mine was in view. "Of course you won't- not yet, anyway. You'll understand in time, brother."

"I am not your brother!"

"Oh, you wound me," Optimus drawled sarcastically, noticing Bumblebee was missing. "Where is Bee?"

"He's helping Arcee," Orion answered.

Optimus nodded. "Comm. Ratchet, then. You can start removing the energon while we wait, and I'll keep an optic on Megatron here."

~0o.o0~

With the last of the energon gone, Optimus and the autobots stood in front of the ground bridge.

"Give us Megatron," Dreadwing demanded. "My side is done."

_You need to prove to them why the war should be ended,_ Unicron urged, mentally pressing against Optimus. _You know what needs to be done._

Optimus paused, even though his processor had been made up a while ago. He knew exactly how to prove his point.

"Do you know what the difference is between us, Dreadwing?" Optimus asked, continuing when the mech didn't answer. "You keep your word, but I will break mine if it means I get what I want. And do you know what I want?" Optimus pushed Megatronous to the ground, revelling in the grunt of pain. "What I want is to show you why you shouldn't make me your enemy."

Before anybot could react, Optimus grabbed Megatronous' arms and kicked him, activating his booster. Megatron fell to the ground with a pained roar, snarling as his disembodied arms landed next to him. Smoke wafted from his scorched back.

"We are done here," Optimus stated, herding the horrified bots through the ground bridge.

Ratchet and Megatron frowned in concern, but the latter was quick to realise what had happened. Megatron grabbed Optimus, demanding, "What did you do?"

"I proved my point," Optimus answered, shrugging Megatron off. "Nothing too bad."

"Nothing too bad?" Arcee repeated, incredulous. "You ripped off his arms! You broke your word!"

"You _what_?" Megatron glared at Optimus, enraged. "You dare break your word? That is not the way of the Knights, or a Prime!"

Optimus' armour flared, face twisting into a snarl. "We are at war- our words no longer matter. We are here to end this war, and I will use every method available to do so."

Megatron stared at him, soon shaking his head in disgust. "You are bringing nothing but dishonour to our people."

_The Cybertronian's are not your people,_ Unicron said. _You are a Quintesson- you are of a much higher status than them. They are nothing more than slaves. You deserve to be treated like the master you are. Are you going to let some knock-off challenge your honour?_

"Shut up!" Optimus snarled, pushing Megatron roughly, the larger Knight stumbling. His processor felt distorted, but the anger clutching his spark overrode his logic. "Are you challenging my honour, _brother_?"

"No!" Megatron snapped, pushing Optimus back. "But I will knock you down if you don't get a hold of your temper, Prime."

_You are no longer a Prime,_ Unicron gloated, mentally pushing the enraged Knight. His voice seemed to become louder. _You are a traitor to the ones you meant to protect._

"Go frag yourself!" Optimus pushed Megatron again, this time with his full strength. Megatron stumbled, falling onto his aft. "Negotiating with you has never worked. I should have offlined your counterpart while I had the chance."

Megatron stared up at him, optics wide in betrayal. A hollow sadness flowed through their bound. His voice was quiet. "Then end it, Optimus. Offline both of us. That's what you want, isn't it?"

The sword felt heavy in Optimus' servos, and he raised it, ready to strike. He didn't know what he wanted. Were these actions even his own?

_Offline him_ , Unicron hissed.

_You're doing this,_ Optimus realised, his sword lowering. "No."

_FINISH HIM!_

His servos shook, dropping the sword. His processor felt like it was being turned inside out, and his struggles felt futile. His arms fell to his sides, body sagging wearily. "I can't offline you."

_Weak!_ Unicron pushed hard against Optimus' processor, trying to take over. _If you will not offline him, then I will._

_Leave him alone,_ Optimus replied, pushing against Unicron. _I will not offline my brother. Not again._

_Stupid Mech. You will offline him. It is every Optimus Prime's destiny to offline Megatron._

_Not anymore._

Unicron pushed harder. _That traitor will die!_

_No!_

The Matrix flared suddenly, and Optimus stumbled. Megatron caught him, but the flamed Knight struggled to comprehend what he was saying. His processor felt overwhelmed, the Matrix sending fire-hot daggers across his chassis. He opened his mouth to speak, but they caught in his throat. A static rumble escaped him instead.

The scene in front of him blurred, struggling to grasp a logical thought. Whose servos were touching him? What was happening?

Optimus struggled weakly against the servos, trying to sit up. Before darkness took him, he swore he heard the concerned yell of his brother calling his name.


	6. Interrogation

" _Unicron is controlling you."_

_Optimus turned, surprised to see the golden mech. "Vector Prime?"_

_The inter dimensional Traveler nodded, stepping in front Optimus, who barely reached the golden Prime's shoulder. His stern gaze turned to their side, turning his body slightly. "You, Bumblebee and Megatron's disappearance from your original dimension piqued my interest. I wish to know why Primus sent you three here without informing me."_

_Optimus turned as well, taking in the scene that unfolded before them. Metal broke through the white ground, twisting and turning into shapes familiar to the statues back in Crystal City. He remembered visiting the city, where he had met Shockwave and Soundwave, back before they were enemies. Back before the war. "He wanted to give us a second chance."_

_Vector hummed, staying quiet, waiting for the Knight to continue._

_Optimus hesitated, but obeyed. "He wishes for us to become the leaders of Cybertron again. I... I do not want to rule Cybertron again. I do not deserve that position, nor my title of Prime."_

" _You are not the only one tainted by Unicron, brother. He tainted the Dynasty a long time ago. The Dynasty's falling was inevitable."_

" _Does he talk to you?"_

_Vector turned to Optimus with narrowed optics. "I knew Unicron had tainted you, but I did not think he would have this much power. I should have known... He was powerful enough to offline the Matrix, after all."_

" _Is there any way I can stop him?"_

_Vector paused, optic ridges furrowing. "... You need to find a way to online the Matrix. The Matrix of the dimension you reside in may work."_

_Optimus shook his head. "It is painful whenever I get too close to my counterpart."_

_Vector frowned, stroking his beard. "There is another option... But it will be months before it can be used. Even then, the chance of it working is below 50%."_

" _What is it?" Optimus asked eagerly, looking up at the Prime._

" _Cyber-matter. It has the ability to heal injuries, and, in essence, the Matrix of Leadership. I do not know exactly when the cyber-matter will be found, or where it is; all I know is that it will happen in a few months. Alpha Trion has not given me all his knowledge on this subject."_

" _It will only be a few months," Optimus stated firmly. "I can hold on till then."_

_A small smile tugged at Vector's mouth. "Be careful, then, brother."_

" _Why do you call me brother?" Optimus blurted, unable to stop the words from escaping him. "I am no Cybertronian. Quintessa-"_

" _She is a deceiver," Vector interrupted. "She may have played a part in creating you, but you have always been loyal to Primus. Quintesson or not, you are still my brother, and I do not blame you for what happened. I know it was Unicron. Our brothers and sister are currently unsure, but in time they will greet you again."_

_Optimus blinked, helm tilting as he smiled. "Thank you, brother."_

~0o.o0~

Slowly, Optimus onlined. A small groan escaped him from the pain curling around his processor.

"Optimus!" Megatron leaned over his brother, relief etching his features. "Are you alright?"

Optimus winced. "Primus, use your indoor voice. My processor feels like it's about to explode."

Megatron rolled his optics. "Such a sparkling."

"I'm not the one who cried when you lost your toy."

Megatron turned to Ratchet, straightening. "He needs to go back into status."

"No I don't," Optimus argued, sitting up slowly. "What I need is some strong high grade. How long have I been out?"

"Two Earth hours, and you're not allowed high grade," Megatron stated. "I'm still angry at you."

"You always are." Standing up, Optimus stretched. _Vector Prime decided to visit me_ , he added through the sibling bond. _There is a way to repair the Matrix_.

Megatron narrowed his optics, helm tilting. _And?_

_It will be a few months before it can be repaired. Alpha Trion had told Vector that there will be cyber matter, though he didn't say where._

_Hm._ A pause. _Will you be able to handle a few more months?_

_Of course,_ Optimus replied, slightly offended. His armour puffed up slightly. _If I was able to handle you when we were younglings, then I can handle this._

_Afthole._

Optimus smirked, looking towards the uneasy bots. His smirk faded, keeping his next thoughts out of the sibling bound. _They won't trust me anymore._

_Can you blame them?_ Unicron's voice replied, sounding bored. _You showed the characteristics of a decepticon. Of a_ Quintesson _._

_Can you shut up? I didn't ask for your opinion._

Unicron mentally shoved Optimus, growling, _watch yourself, traitor. I can still possess Bumblebee..._

_Touch him and I'll tear your face off._ With that, he focused on the autobots again. "Where is Bumblebee?"

"Here!" With that, the youngling Bumblebee jumped from Megatron's arms, Optimus catching him just in time. The youngling laughed, wriggling out of Optimus' servos and latching onto his chassis. "Are you ok?"

Holding the youngling, Optimus let out a rumbling chuckle. "I'm fine, little bee. You haven't been too much trouble for the others while I was out, were you?"

Bee grinned up at him, optics wide in innocence. "I've been very good. Uncle Megs, I've been good?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Megatron chuckled, walking over and patting Bee's helm. He looked at Optimus. "Agent Fowler will be arriving soon. I trust you will behave yourself with the human?"

Optimus hummed, helm tilting. "Depends; does he plan to betray us?"

"From what I've heard, Agent Fowler is short tempered and loud, but is loyal to the autobots," Megatron answered. "I'm sure you can gather more information on the internet."

Optimus hummed again, walking over to the computers. Moving Bee onto his shoulder, Optimus began typing.

**Restricted Access**

Optimus frowned. "We seem to have no access to this information. Ratchet, does the government watch these computers?"

"They do," Ratchet answered, optics narrowing. "You're not planning to hack the system, are you?"

"Just did," Optimus replied with a small grin. "Putting this into incognito and getting access to the top secret documents was too easy. Don't worry, I'll replace it all with something better... Oh, other me, you didn't happen to develop a complexed layered firewall with Soundwave, did you?"

"I did not," Orion replied, helm tilting slightly in curiosity. "Why?"

Optimus turned in surprise. "Seriously? Did you ever meet Soundwave before the war? Or Shockwave?"

"I only met Soundwave once before the war, and I did not meet Shockwave till the war started."

"That's so... weird." Optimus turned back to the computer, exiting the database. "Soundwave, Shockwave and I were what the humans would call 'science bros'. Why, back before the war we were the most sought out scientists, along with Wheeljack and Ratchet. Though, all Cybertronians agreed that the five of us were no longer allowed to experiment on anything together."

"None of you still haven't told me how you managed to blow up a quarter of Iacon and survive," Megatron stated, folding his arms. "Exactly what were you experimenting on?"

"Confidential," Optimus answered cheerfully. "We're sworn to secrecy, and they'd offline me if I ever told you. Have you ever dealt with an angry Ratchet and Wheeljack? It's one of the most painful experiences known to Cybertronians." He paused, crossing his arms with a small grin. "No wonder we were able to get so much decepticon secrets."

"Wait, they're the ones who tortured my soldiers?" Megatron asked, surprised. "Wheeljack doesn't surprise me that much, but Ratchet? The medic is too compassionate to do something so cruel."

"Then you have forgotten what we were like before the war," Optimus replied. "Our experiments were not always used to better Cybertron. Some of them were created for the sole purpose of destruction. Shockwave may have been the one to use them the most, but he didn't create them by himself. Ratchet had created a fair few, until he realised that it was wrong and tried to destroy all our work. Wheeljack gladly helped him."

"You knew Shockwave was making those experiments?" Ratchet asked, glaring daggers at the Knight. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"Because he was useful," Optimus answered simply, turning to the rail when a human male entered. "Agent Fowler. Pleasure."

Fowler nodded in return. "Heard what you did to Megatron- a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"My counterpart is quite powerful," Megatron defended, scowling. "He could have won."

"I offlined you _twice_ ," Optimus stated, turning to his brother with a raised optic ridge. "I could have offlined your counterpart in ten seconds tops."

"That's because you cheat."

"So do you."

Scowl deepening, Megatron looked to the unnerved human. "I believe you had something you wished to inform us about?"

"Yeah, some cop car has been stirring trouble in Washington DC. Scans show it's definitely Cybertronian."

"Barricade," Optimus and Megatron said simultaneously, the latter continuing. "He was one of my best soldiers, and it seems he's taking orders from my counterpart."

"Is there any way you can convince him to join us?" Optimus asked, crossing his arms. "We can't have him causing trouble for our cover."

"And the humans cannot be hurt either," Megatron added, giving his brother an exasperated look. "If we can track him down, I should be able to convince him."

"And if you can't?"

"Then we will have to offline him."

Optimus paused as Unicron decided to speak up. _Keep him alive- he could give us useful information._ "We shouldn't offline him immediately. He may have some important information."

Megatron tilted his helm, optics narrowing. "I will question him then, understood?"

A frown tugged at Optimus' lips, annoyed at not having the chance to talk to the 'con. "... Alright."

_Planning to go behind your brother's back?_ Unicron taunted, the smirk evident in his voice.

Optimus didn't answer- he didn't have to. They both knew he would.


	7. High Council

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a headcanon that the Cybertronians would move certain parts of their armour to communicate, and do the same with their bio lights.

_I'm surprised you got away with that._

Optimus ignored the chaos god, turning onto the highway. Constant scanning proved near fruitless, and after three hours Optimus was ready to go back to base. Night had hit an hour ago. Deciding to call it a day, he did one last scan.

**Decepticon signal** , his HUD notified. The signal was five meters in front of him. _Finally._

Optimus accelerated, annoyed that even at night the highway was still fairly busy. It didn't take long to spot Barricade, who was driving close to the outside near a forest. Perfect. Deactivating his lights and scrambling his signal (which only lasted ten seconds), Optimus rammed Barricade at the back, hitting him on an angle.

Barricade swerved, Optimus ramming him into the forest and through the fence. The cars on the highway turned into a frenzy. They transformed and wrestled, taking down trees and finally stopping at a clearing, out of sight of human eyes. Optimus straddled the 'con, holding him down with his blade. "You have some explaining to do, Barricade. You've been causing trouble for our cover."

_He looks a lot like your old lieutenant,_ Unicron mused. _Hm, he could be related to Prowl. Or maybe they are both the same._

_What do you mean?_

_Prowl did disappear,_ Unicron replied, and fell silent.

"I had to get your attention somehow," Barricade growled, glaring up at the Prime. "And seeming as both Megatron's are deficient, you were the only option."

"For what?"

"For Cybertron to be ruled how it had been in the Golden Age. We need a council. We need _order_."

"A council?" Optimus snorted. "Most of the council members Sentinel had are dead; the only ones online are Megatron and myself. Even if they were alive, they are not in this dimension. Speaking of this dimension…" He dug his blade in slightly, nicking one of Barricade's cables. "How did you get here?"

Barricade bared his denta, the armour on his shoulders puffing up slightly. "Ground bridge malfunction. And I am not the only who has come here because of it."

"A ground bridge malfunction," Optimus repeated, deadpan. _Wonderful. He gets to frag something up to get to another dimension, yet I have to have a sword shoved through my spark chamber? Lovely._ "Who else is here?"

"Soundwave, Shockwave, Jazz, Drivetrain, Starscream, Halogen and Bluestreak."

"I offlined Shockwave, and both Soundwave and Jazz were offlined by Bumblebee and Megatron respectively. Bluestreak was slain by Cemetery Wind, Sam offlined Starscream, and Drivetrain and Halogen offlined on Cybertron." Optimus leaned forward, snarling. "Tell me the truth!"

"I am!" Barricade struggled for a moment, but soon settled for glaring at the Prime. "I found a shard of the Allspark. By breaking it into five pieces, I was able to revive Starscream, Bluestreak, Soundwave, Jazz and Shockwave. Drivetrain and Halogen came to us an Earth day after you and Megatron were gone."

"How did you find their bodies?"

"Soundwave, Starscream and Shockwave were left in the ocean, while I managed to save Jazz and Bluestreak from being melted." Barricade lightly shoved the Prime. "Let me up, I mean no harm."

Optimus narrowed his optics, but stood up. Barricade followed suit, not bothering to activate his weapons, even though Optimus still had his own activated. Tilting his helm, Optimus asked, "Why Jazz and Bluestreak?"

"They were a part of the Council," Barricade said, crossing his arms. "If I take you to them, you have to promise that we will not be harmed by your team."

"There is something else."

"If you want to see them, you must swear to rule Cybertron how it had once been."

_He hasn't specified on which Age,_ Unicron said.

_He did before._

_The Golden Age? No, we should be going further back, to the Age of Wrath. Back when the Quintessons had ruled Cybertron. It is only fitting, since a half-Quintesson will be ruling Cybertron. You and some of the members of the council had preferred the caste-system, which was originally designed by the Quintessons to enslave the Cybertronians. Is that what you plan to do? To enslave them? I wonder if your presence, tainted as it is, could also interfere with the Well of All Sparks…_

Annoyed, Optimus ignored Unicron in favour of replying to Barricade. "Not everybot will be content with it."

Barricade snorted. "You know as well as I do that you cannot please everybot. Do we have a deal?"

"… Only if you accompany me to my base. Megatron will want to speak with you." Noticing the hesitance from the decepticon, Optimus added, "He will not harm you."

Another snort. "No, he will not. Did yours and Megatron's processors get swapped while coming here? _Lord Megatron_ is meant to be the tyrant."

_He has a point._

_No bot asked for your opinion._ "Will you accompany me or not?"

"I will."

~0o.o0~

"Barricade," Megatron greeted, optics narrowed at the two bots who had come through the ground bridge. Orion and his team stood next to the Knight. "Optimus, why does Barricade have energon on his neck?"

"Precautions must be taken when capturing the enemy," Barricade answered, defending the now surprised Knight. "I am only here to see what you required."

"You have been causing havoc among the humans." Megatron paused, helm tilting. "How did you get here?"

"Space bridge malfunction."

Optimus sniggered at the deadpan look Megatron gave. "Optimus and I had to be offlined to get here. And you arrived here by a _ground bridge malfunction_? Optimus, do you believe this scrap?"

"I do," Optimus replied. "He has no reason to lie."

"Other than being allied to my counterpart."

"I merely joined him to gain secrets for you, my Lord." Barricade looked to Optimus. "Speaking of the slag-platers, they will be wondering where I am since they cannot access my signal."

"Then you best go," Optimus said. "The last thing we need is your cover being blown."

"Before you go, did any others come with you?" Megatron asked.

At this, Barricade and Optimus exchanged looks. Barricade tilted the wheel on his right shoulder down, flicking it to the left to point to the bots. _How much shall they know?_

Optimus puffed his left shoulder armour, flicking it slightly. _All_.

"Shockwave, Soundwave, Bluestreak, Jazz, Starscream, Halogen and Drivetrain," Barricade answered, slightly hesitating.

"Will we be able to meet them?" Megatron asked. "And last I checked, they were offlined."

"They have only agreed for Lord Optimus Prime to meet them. No bot else. As for how they are alive… I found an Allspark shard, and by breaking it into five I was able to revive Shockwave, Starscream, Soundwave, Bluestreak and Jazz. Halogen and Drivetrain had come to Earth an Earth day after yourself and Lord Optimus had left."

_Lord? He hasn't used that title for Megatron…_ Optimus thought, almost frowning.

"Where did you find the Allspark shard? Do you still have the pieces?"

"I do not have the pieces," Barricade said. "The pieces did not have any energy left after reviving the others. Unfortunately, I cannot answer any more questions. I need to get back to the _Nemesis_."

"Before you go, I need to know…" Megatron hesitated for a klick. "The others, do they serve my counterpart?"

"No. They have created their own base. Lord Optimus Prime, when are you next available? It would be best to meet with the council members soon."

"Eight am tomorrow," Optimus answered. "Tell Shockwave I'm sorry for ripping his optic out from the back of his helm."

"You never apologised to me for ripping my head and spinal cord out! I helped you offline Sentinel," Megatron huffed, glaring at the Knight.

Optimus looked to his brother, raising an optic ridge. "You only helped because Carly said you were Sentinel's bitch. Which, by the way, you definitely were. And considering you shoved a flaming sword through my spark chamber, I'm not apologising to you." Walking to the controls, he opened the ground bridge. "I'll see you tomorrow, Barricade?"

"You will. I'll send you the coordinates." With a nod, Barricade walked through the ground bridge.

Turning it off, Optimus looked to Megatron. "Where is Bumblebee?"

"Recharging. You best do the same."

"I will later; as of now, I need to think about the right course of action."

"That would be wise." Humming, Megatron leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "I must know, _Lord Optimus Prime_ , if there will be a High Council. And who will be on it."

"A High Council, or any type of council, has yet to be decided," Optimus replied carefully, unsure. "In grim times like these, though, order is needed. The High Council had served well back in the Golden Ages."

"And what of a caste-system?"

Optimus hesitated. "The issue of a caste-system will be discussed with the others."

"Have you forgotten what happened last time we tried to discuss that? The war between decepticons and autobots was greatly influenced by that slagging caste-system! There should be no caste-system- _that_ is what myself and the decepticons had fought for."

"At the time, you were driven insane by Unicron," Optimus drawled. "Your demur against the caste-system shall be mentioned, brother, but that is all I can do."

"You can bring me with you," Megatron insisted. "Am I not part of the High Council?"

"You are, but they have asked for only me."

"Soundwave, Halogen, Jazz, Bluestreak and Drivetrain will not agree to a caste-system. I am unsure of Starscream and Shockwave, as they had been former members of the Senate. Even without my input, it is still five against three. That is, if you agree to having a caste-system."

"Five against four," Optimus countered. "Barricade knows that order is needed. And to that extent, Jazz would want order among our people too. Four against five."

"Five against five. I am the Lord High Protector of Cybertron, and a member of the High Council. I hold no ties to the decepticons, just as you hold no ties to the autobots."

"Then a compromise shall be met. I will speak to the others of having you join us," Optimus said. He paused. "Yours and my counterpart should be a part of this. And to that extent, their second-in-command and medical officer must join them. The autobot and decepticon conflict will need to be discussed as well. Orion, as the leader of the autobots and similar to myself, I trust you will look for a peaceful negotiation?"

' _Similar to myself'?_ Unicron parroted, snorting. _I don't see your counterpart offlining humans._

"I will," Orion nodded. "And what will be done for Megatron?"

"I will speak to my counterpart," Megatron stated. As an afterthought, he added, "Seeming as somebot humiliated Megatronous, I am the best option."

"It wasn't _that_ bad," Optimus argued.

"No, not as bad as the time you offlined me," Megatron replied. "You ripped my head and spinal cord out with your axe. I want an apology."

"You stabbed me with a flaming sword. Go jump in a smelter."

"Real mature, Optimus. What about Megatronous Prime, more commonly known as The Fallen? You tore his face off, right before shoving your servo through the back of his chest and ripping his spark out."

"He tried to _destroy the sun_ Megatron. What was I meant to do? 'Oh, hey brother, do you mind not killing all the humans and destroying the sun please?'"

"You didn't have to tear his face off, or mine for that matter," Megatron argued.

"It was only half of your face, you sparkling."

"Are you two always this violent?" Arcee asked, looking disturbed.

"Were you expecting the leaders of Cybertron to be soft-sparked?" Megatron snorted. "I lead the military division, providing protection for the science division, which Optimus leads. We must be hard-sparked and vigilant; the last thing we need is for another Age of Wrath, or worse."

_Age of Wrath?_ Bumblebee beeped, tilting his head in confusion.

"The Age of Wrath was when we learned of our T-Cogs, by the Quintessons. They established the rule of law and helped standardise a High Council, ruled by our mentor Sentinel Prime. They were the ones to create a caste-system, planning to enslave the Cybertronians- Shockwave and Soundwave had revealed their plans to the High Council. Sentinel declared war upon the Quintessons; after the Quintessons defeat, we entered the Golden Age." Megatron looked to Optimus. "Not many bots remember the Age of Wrath, as it was a long time ago."

Optimus nodded. "As members of the High Council, we will always remember, but all other Cybertronians had no need to remember such ruthless times. It is getting late- I shall depart for recharge." With that, Optimus turned on his heel and left, deciding to message Barricade.

__**To: Barricade**  
From: Optimus  
Subject: Megatron  
Megatron wishes to join us. Upon further discussion, we believe it would be best for the leader, second-in-command and medical officer of each faction to join us as well. Megatron has decided to speak with his counterpart. Would you be content with these conditions?

Sending it, Optimus sat down on his berth. The _ping_ of a new message did not take long.

__**To: Optimus**  
From: Barricade  
Subject: Confirmation  
Myself and the other members of the High Council have agreed towards this proposal. We shall meet you at eight am tomorrow at the coordinates provided.

Smiling, Optimus laid down. Finally, something was going right.

_Enjoy this feeling while you can,_ Unicron sneered. _Have you checked on Bumblebee lately?_

This made Optimus frown. Getting up, he carefully walked over to the sleeping Scout. Bee laid in a make-shift crib, curled in a ball, peacefully recharging. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a slight red tinge around his helm.

The sudden thought of what it could mean left Optimus' legs unsteady. Venting heavily, he went to his berth.


	8. Meetings and Temporary Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amica Endura= a long-term best friend. Some quotes in the flashbacks are referenced from a few Transformers IDW comics.

"Soundwave," Optimus greeted, entering the base. The base had been placed in a cave, which was now under construction. A quick glance showed only one or two rooms would be left to finish. "The base looks good. How are you?"

"I have been well," Soundwave answered, surprising the three autobots that stood behind Optimus. "The others are in the meeting room. Follow me."

As Optimus and the autobots followed, Soundwave continued to speak. "I see you have gained a few acquaintances. The leader and medic's designations are not hard to guess, but what of you, femme? You're either Arcee or Chromia, since your sister Elita-One had perished on Cybertron."

"My designation is Arcee," the femme replied, a hint of a snarl on her mouth. "Elita-One is not my sister, nor is Chromia."

"Strange. In my dimension, you three are triplets, and Lord Optimus Prime's finest hunters." Soundwave opened a door, entering. Optimus and the others followed, looking around the large room that held the rest of the surviving members of the High Council.

"Lord Optimus Prime," the members greeted, all bowing.

"It is good to see you all, brothers," Optimus said, smiling slightly, moving to the side to relieve the pain in his spark chamber. "Allow me to introduce the three autobots behind me- leader of the autobots, Optimus Prime, or Orion to save a processor ache; autobot Medical Officer Ratchet, and autobot second-in-command, Arcee." At this, he started to point to the High Council members. "Shockwave- former Senate, now scientist. Bluestreak- autobot sharpshooter. Jazz- autobot First Lieutenant. Starscream-former Senator, now Seeker. Halogen and Drivetrain- both Senators."

"Where is Megatron?" Halogen asked, placing a servo on his hip. The green and purple mech with one purple optic was quite tall, standing almost at the same height as Optimus.

"Lord Megatron is escorting Megatronous, Soundwave, Knockout and Barricade here," Optimus answered, sending Halogen a withering look. The politician dipped his head in apology.

"There will be two Soundwave's," Drivetrain said. The blue and silver mech stood next to Halogen, a red visor covering his optics. He only just reached Halogen's chassis. "What shall this dimensions Soundwave be designated as?"

Optimus looked to Soundwave, who answered, "Soundblaster; it is one of my alias'."

Drivetrain nodded. "How long will they be?"

"At least another five minutes," Optimus said.

"Lord Optimus, may I speak with you in private?" Shockwave asked, gesturing to the door.

"Of course. If you'll excuse us…" Optimus followed Shockwave out of the room, walking down a hall so they weren't heard. "What is it you wish to discuss?"

"Whether or not a caste-system will be chosen," Shockwave answered. "Both the autobots and decepticons will disagree towards it, leaving us outnumbered. I trust you have a plan to win this debate?"

"Technically, the autobots and decepticons are not part of a High Council, and are merely guests here to discuss the autobot-decepticon war. This only leaves the obstacle of a clashing between the debates of a caste-system. It is near possible that it will be five against five."

"Soundwave may agree to a caste-system."

Optimus couldn't help but snort. "Out of all of them, Soundwave is the only true decepticon. He still believes in the decepticon's original reason to wage war."

"Halogen may agree with us, if we provide enough facts as to why we should keep a caste-system." Shockwave paused. "Even if it is still five against five, we can make it five against four. Megatron had announced his withdrawal from the High Council, so he does not have a place in our Council."

"Lord Megatron," Optimus corrected automatically, annoyed. "He does, technically, still hold the title of Lord High Protector of Cybertron. Though you and the others have a personal loathing towards him, he still holds some power. Our personal feelings on this do not matter, as you well know, Shockwave."

Shockwave slightly flinched, no doubt remembering being captured and subjected to Shadowplay. Optimus winced, mentally cursing himself for saying it. "Shockwave, I apologise, I did not mean to imply-"

"It is fine," Shockwave interrupted, head tilting in a certain way to show it truly was fine. Even though it had been a long time, Optimus still recognised the tilt.

Optimus nodded, only to pause as Unicron decided to speak. _Sentinel and Proteus had approved of what happened to Shockwave, you know_.

Images of a red, blue and orange mech rose unbidden to his thoughts. Optimus remembered the haughty mech; manipulating behind the scenes, and announcing the Decepticon Registration Act. _"… I will grant the decepticon movement formal political party status – and only if – at least 10,000 'decepticons' register themselves as such."_

"Optimus? Are you alright?"

Optimus blinked, looking to Shockwave. "I am fine. Simply… preoccupied."

Shockwave's optic narrowed, before looking behind him. He spoke softly. "We will discuss this afterwards, Prime."

Upon feeling the optics on him, Optimus turned to face Megatron, Megatronous, Knockout and the now designated Soundblaster. "Greetings. The others are in the room. Allow me to escort you."

Once in the room, introductions were said again, Soundblaster agreeing to the new name with a begrudging nod.

 _Let the politics begin_ , Optimus thought grimly.

~0o.o0~

Three hours had passed, and not much had been reached. When it hit 3 hours and 28 minutes, Halogen and Drivetrain suggested a half hour break. Everybot instantly agreed, leaving to the main room.

Orion, Ratchet, Arcee, Jazz and Bluestreak had taken the far left of the room. Starscream had trailed over to speak with Megatronous, Knockout and Soundblaster who stayed near the doorway. Halogen, Drivetrain and Megatron had taken the far right of the room.

Shockwave dragged Optimus into a large room, ignoring the looks from Megatron and Drivetrain.

"You were distracted," Shockwave stated, slight irritation and concern tinging his voice. The note of concern left Optimus wondering if the Shadowplay had somehow worn off. He made a mental note to ask later.

"It has been a long time since something like this has happened," Optimus replied, the argument sounding weak to even his audios.

Shockwave studied him, and Optimus couldn't help but glance away, uncomfortable. Though a few bots had known him longer, Shockwave had always seen through him; had shown him the truth behind the Senate. There were very few Optimus could trust, and even after all that had happened in their dimension… He knew Shockwave wouldn't betray him. He had seen the minute hesitance when Shockwave had faced him, back on Earth. In that moment, Optimus had kept his feelings to the side, but struggled upon seeing the surprise yet expectation as Optimus offlined him.

The memory left a heavy feeling in his tanks. Unicron took the moment to speak. _Most of your murders had been brutal, but to be so cruel to the bot you considered a close friend? Could you sink any lower? Oh, wait, you did. You murdered your son._

 _Murder_. Optimus swallowed, trying to assure himself that what he had done was to protect the human race… But was that any excuse?

"Something is haunting you, Optimus." Shockwave's voice broke Optimus out of his guilt, looking to the ex-decepticon. "Or, to be correct, someone. Before my death, I had seen the flash of purple in your optics. I had thought it nothing but a glitch in my vision. Now… I saw the slight hue of purple, but it disappeared when I spoke. This has occurred twice. These actions aren't wholly your own, are they?"

Optimus stared at him, only to look down, shoulders lowering against the weight of his remorse. No, they hadn't been. The more Optimus had contemplated it, had tried to ignore the insistent feeling, he knew the answer. It only raised more questions, ones that he didn't know if he wanted answered. Had Unicron been with him this whole time? Had this all been orchestrated for the chaos god's amusement?

Was he ever wholly in control?

"I…" Optimus reset his static filled voice. "No, they aren't."

"It was him, wasn't it?"

The fury in Shockwave's voice surprised him. The Knight looked to him, mouth opening-

 _Do you truly think he cares for you_? Unicron sneered, causing Optimus to shut his mouth. _He is nothing more than an unemotional machine. Answer me this, Knight- what could he gain from finding out about us? What could he do to us? To you?_

 _He… Could tell the others_ … Optimus murmured, overwhelmed by horror. _They would offline us. But isn't that what he wanted? For Unicron to die? To be free of the chains that bound him? I don't want to die. I… I have too much to fix._

_You can't trust him._

A servo touched his shoulder, and Optimus flinched, only to realise the touch was… kind? Worry shined in Shockwave's optic, stance protective yet subdued. Like he didn't know whether to continue or draw back.

He wasn't subjected to Shadowplay for nothing. He is too unpredictable.

"I won't hurt you," Shockwave murmured. "There is nothing to fear. You're safe."

 _He will betray you_ , Unicron snarled, almost frantic. The chaos god mentally pushed him, but Optimus retaliated, knowing his decision.

"He used me," Optimus blurted, voice wavering. The whirlwind of emotions engulfed him, begging to just let it out, I can't do this alone, please, help me. "I didn't see it at first. I don't even know when it started. But he took over, forced me to offline Megatron, my brothers, Bumblebee-"

His voice cracked. Primus, what was wrong with him? For millennia he was strong, humble, knew what to do; but now he was weak. Pathetic. "It was my fault. I wasn't strong enough. I failed. I let Unicron win, I'm nothing but a disgr-"

Shockwave brought his other servo up, cradling Optimus' helm and causing the Knight to quieten. "You are not a disgrace, Optimus. You resisted him longer than any other bot could. I know you believe it's your fault, but it isn't. You never knew he was there. If you had known, I know you could have stopped him." Slowly, he wiped the tears that had fallen. "And you still can."

"Can you help me?" The plea was quiet, Shockwave almost missing it.

"I will," Shockwave promised, looking down at the distressed Knight. The sight caused something foreign in his systems. It took him a moment to realise it was an emotion he hadn't felt before, startling him. Ever since coming to this dimension, Shockwave had started to slowly feel. He was unsure if it was a side effect from the ground bridge, or something else entirely. But right now, that wasn't important. The Knight in front of him was.

And wasn't that strange. Of all the bots that could evoke an emotion out of him, it was the mech he had fought to keep from being locked up. The same mech to defend him when Roller became sceptical. Who was willing to fight to save him, but Shockwave went with his captors. Even though he didn't like Roller, the mech was Optimus' friend. Shockwave didn't want Roller dying in his name.

"Will you be fine to continue the meeting?" Shockwave asked. "We can always post-pone it to tomorrow."

Optimus shook his head slightly, taking a deep vent and gathering himself. Surprisingly, Optimus seemed content to keep in contact. "No. We need to reach some sort of treaty between the autobots and decepticons."

That almost made Shockwave snort. "We both know this will not happen. It is inevitable for Megatron to betray the treaty. What's your motive, Prime?"

"... I never could hide things from you," Optimus muttered, a small smile gracing his features. "Well, as you already know, we need votes on keeping the functionism system. But altered, maybe. The original belief was certain alt modes belonged to certain classes, but what of a hybrid class? Sentient species are constantly evolving, so we need to adapt and expand upon it."

Shockwave hummed, optic cycling in thought. "We'll have to discuss this in detail later. What is the other thing?"

"The treaty is to give time on what to decide. I'm unsure on what to do with the decepticons. Some will join, but the others will be harder. Which leaves the option of patience or..."

"Execution," Shockwave finished for him, seeing the logic behind it. After all, peace was the long term goal. To reach that, difficult decisions had to be made. Letting the decepticons go would result in the deaths of some autobots, and come off as naive to others. Locking the decepticons up could have negative outcomes- breaking out (resulting in deaths, especially without a proper prison system), or even sending the wrong image to others (they would appear soft for not executing murderers; a weakness that can be taken advantage of). Executing the decepticons would come with its own problems, but it would eliminate the threat long enough to find a better solution.

"Executing the most wanted decepticons would work," Shockwave said, mulling it over. "But executing the weaker links would make us appear as tyrants. The weaker links could be imprisoned, and given a second chance to leave the decepticons. If they do not take the second chance, they either rot in prison or are executed. It would depend upon the severity of their crimes."

Optimus hummed, helm leaning further into the scientist's servo. It reminded him of a time before the war. Of after a stressful day where they would silently speak to each other, using the other as a pillow. "That could work."

"Of course it will."

Optimus chuckled at seeing Shockwave's own version of a pout- optic cycling, and horns lowering slightly with his head just tilted to the right. "Of course. Shall we join the others, amica?"

"The correct term is amica endura," Shockwave said in exasperation. "Honestly, you're as bad as Jazz at times. Maybe even Hot Rod."

Optimus made a face. "Rude."

Shockwave couldn't help but chuckle.

"Are you two done swapping paint, or should I start taking a guess on when I'll get a new niece or nephew?"

Shockwave retreated away from Optimus, the twitching of his horns revealing his mortification. Optimus, on the other hand, took it in stride, used to his brother's comments whenever he spent company with somebot. He grinned at his brother, Drivetrain, Halogen and the three shocked autobots. "You won't get one if you keep interrupting. Anyway, taking our time should be a blessing. It'd give you more time to... Reconcile with Starscream."

That made Megatron stutter. "I-I... I'm not... Argh, shut up."

Optimus snickered, going to walk towards them but realised the dull throb in his spark chamber. He stopped, grin widening. "Or maybe you were busy trying to woo the red medic. Quite a looker, wouldn't you agree?"

"He's taken, unfortunately," Megatron said. "If you bothered to look with your optics instead of your spike, you would know this."

"I was looking with both, thank you very much. I haven't had a chance to speak with Starscream, actually. I should do that after we finish the meeting. Unless you've already laid claim to his afternoon?"

Halogen turned to Drivetrain, trying to hide his grin. Drivetrain merely smirked at the interaction between the brothers.

"We're not together!" Megatron hissed, a faint tint of blue on his faceplates.

"So that's a yes, you'll be with Starscream this afternoon." Optimus snickered. "Now, get going. We'll be behind you."

"Want us to turn our backs so you can give him a quick kiss?" Megatron taunted, smirking.

Optimus looked to the scientist in question, waggling his optic ridges. "Shall we?"

Shockwave's optic narrowed, voice amused. "You'd get a better chance with Soundwave."

"Guess I'll go kiss him, then."

"Fine."

Optimus smiled, noticing the slight irritation. He looked to his brother. "We best return."

~0o.o0~

A hesitant treaty had been placed. Which was, admittedly, better than nothing. Both sides had agreed to not cause any type of havoc towards each other or the humans until a definite treaty had been placed.

"We should meet again tomorrow," Halogen suggested, a few council members agreeing.

Shockwave did not. "No, we need a few days to allow us time to gather ourselves for the next meeting. There is no need to rush."

Halogen went to argue, but Optimus interrupted. "I agree with Shockwave. We do not need to rush something so important."

Megatron nodded. "I agree with the notion. Who agrees to five days?" Only three bots didn't raise their servos. "Then it has been decided. Meeting adjourned."

Megatron walked to his younger counterpart, escorting the three decepticons out with Starscream following. Barricade, Bluestreak and Jazz went to the three autobots, following the others. Halogen and Drivetrain looked to the Knight and scientist.

"Use protection!" Halogen quipped as he walked out, yelping when Drivetrain slapped the back of his helm.

Optimus snorted, looking to Soundwave who spoke. "I trust you have a plan."

Nodding, Optimus and Shockwave explained the current dilemma. Soundwave remained silent, finally voicing his thoughts on the matter. "I do not agree to functionism. The decepticon cause is about equality. But I see your problem with what to do with this dimensions decepticons." The word was near hissed, like a foul taste. "Whilst Shockwave's proposal is logical, violence doesn't have to continue. We cannot force them to choose between death or enslavement."

"It is not enslavement," Shockwave argued. "They are offered a second chance."

"Ah, yes, a 'second chance'." The sarcasm kept the scientist and Knight quiet. "A second chance that you are only offering to the weaker links. Where is the equality in this?"

A heavy silence hit them. Soundwave turned on his heel and left.

 _Where is the equality_? Unicron mocked, clearly amused. Pain started to throb at the edges of his processor. _You are more Quintesson then you realise. They won't trust you forever. How will they react when they find out about what you are? What you did? They'll hate you. You will be nothing to them. Nothing but a traitor, a murderer. What of Bumblebee, hm? You slaughtered a child. You are nothing but a sparkless monster._

"Optimus?" Shockwave asked, suddenly in front of him. His optic widened, noticing the faint purple hue. "Optimus, look at me."

Optimus shook his head, backing up into the wall. His frame shook, processor disoriented. He recognised this- for a brief moment, he wondered if this would classify as a 'seizure', and everything went black.

~0o.o0~

_"Listen- I didn't fall in with him because I thought he'd singled me out. I fell in with him because, like Megatron, he opened my eyes to a Cybertron I'd been too quick to ignore. Empurata and ratioism and the institute… He forced me to recognise them for what they were: symptoms of a world gone wrong. And I owe him for that. I trust him, Roller, end of conversation."_

_The scene changed, showing a younger Shockwave and Optimus._

_"This isn't you, Shockwave! I know the real you- you can overcome what they did! I believe in you!"_

_Optimus shook his head, sighing at his younger self who faded away. So naive..._

_Sentinel appeared, face grim. Below him was Megatron, his younger self, Elita-One and Shockwave. "The Thetacons are breaching our defences-"_

_Megatron interrupted, grabbing the young Optimus. "We heard. Follow me, Optimus!"_

_As they left, the younger Optimus was quick to get in front of Megatron. "Megatron- you'll have to keep up with me!"_

_Optimus watched, smiling. Even in the face of battle, they had still squabbled like any other siblings._

_Again, the scene changed. Ironhide, Sentinel Prime, Elita-One and his younger self stood together._

_"That's the method of our enemy," the younger Optimus said. "There has to be a way to win without resorting to wholesale murder."_

_Optimus swallowed, wondering what would have happened if he had said yes. If I had chosen differently, maybe the war would have ended earlier._

_A dark chuckle echoed in his mind, the scene changing to the ruins of Iacon. "So naive. You still are, in some ways. Sometimes, peace is a temporary answer."_

_Optimus turned, snarling. "Peace is what we fight for. Peace will rebuild Cybertron."_

_Quintus Prime merely raised an optic ridge. "There it is again. The violence. The narrow minded belief that you are right, and those who disagree are nothing but the dirt beneath your pede. Peace may build Cybertron again, but we already know the outcome of this. Another will want power, and Cybertron will fall again."_

"Shockwave, what's happening to Optimus?" Megatron demanded, standing next to the berth that held Optimus. Cables connected the statis locked Knight to a computer, vitals reading fine.

"I am not sure," Shockwave answered, sounding slightly frantic. The scientist had been constantly scanning him, coming up with nothing.

"Something internal?"

"I don't know."

"Spark chamber?"

"I don't know."

Megatron paused. "Will he wake?"

"I don't know!"

Megatron subconsciously stepped back, surprised at the outburst. Optics softening in sympathy, Megatron said, "I will tell the others that Optimus merely collapsed from lack of energon."

Shockwave nodded, watching as the former warlord left. He looked back to Optimus. "What is going on, Prime?"

_"And another will want freedom," Optimus countered, annoyed. Of all the Primes, Quintus was the one he loathed the most. The emerald green Prime was as arrogant and manipulative as his creations._

_"A never ending cycle." Quintus stepped towards Optimus, eyeing him. He hummed. "You are unsettled. A difficult, muddled path awaits you, Optimus; much harder than any path you have taken. Alpha Trion struggles to see your future. Probably to do with my... Interference."_

_"My Quintesson side." A statement._

_"Stop your body from fighting it, Optimus. You cannot win this war without embracing your Quintesson side. They don't have to be cruel. You can change their future." Quintus turned, changing the scene to Earth. "But before you can do that, you need to expel the corruption inside you."_

_"I cannot fight Unicron alone." At the thought of Unicron, Optimus frowned. "Why... can't I feel him?"_

_"Why do you go into statis lock right before the Matrix reactivates? We cannot keep communicating with you like this, Optimus. Unicron must be put into deep statis again."_

_"How? Vector said-"_

_"Who cares what Vector said?" Quintus asked, waving a servo in annoyance. "I don't, because he was hiding an easier option from you. You'll be too far gone if we wait. We need to activate your Quintesson side. With Cybertronian strength and Quintesson abilities, defeating Unicron will be easier. If I activate your Quintesson side, I could also theoretically activate the Matrix."_

_Quintus paused, shrugging. "For a short while, at least. A few days, maybe weeks; depends how much power you have left in your body. And whether or not this will offline you. And no, the others are not aware of this. Except Liege Maximo."_

_Optimus shook his head. "I want nothing to do with the Quintessons anymore. I must refuse your offer, Quintus."_

_"It wasn't an offer. I will make you stronger, before the others know."_

The computer let out a loud wail, Shockwave freezing upon seeing Optimus' spark beating erratically. Sparks trailed across his frame. Grabbing a scanner, he yelled, "Megatron! Ratchet! Soundwave! Get here now!"

The med doors opened instantly, the three mechs running to Shockwave.

"What happened?" Ratchet barked, scanning the Knight.

"I don't know. He was fine a klick ago, but his spark beat became erratic."

"My scans show some type of foreign energy coming from the Matrix. It's activating it."

"Is there anything we can do?" Megatron asked, genuine fear lacing his voice.

"We can only monitor him," Soundwave stated. "The Matrix is activating. All we can do is make sure that if he convulses, we hold him down to prevent injury."

_Pain. It felt like acid rain, burning his circuits and boiling energon. He was... Floating. Or maybe he was on the ground. Submerged in water?_

_The pain stopped_.

"The monitor," Ratchet breathed, horrified.

They turned, sparks stuttering upon seeing the straight line.

"Defibrillator!" Ratchet barked, Shockwave responding instantly.

_He couldn't feel anything. Couldn't hear. Couldn't see. Couldn't smell. Whole yet not. Alive yet dead. Everything yet nothing. The only thing that could be comprehended is that it can't be._

_Images flashed, past and present combined and laid out randomly. For a moment he could feel the sun from where he stood on Earth, changing to cold temperatures of the deepest parts of Cybertron. Everything flickered between bright and dark._

_Vaguely, he registered a few words. "Expel... too much... sorry..."_

"Clear!"

_Everything went numb. Then, like a tidal wave, all feelings in his body came back._

Optimus sat up, computer all but screaming at the too erratic spark beat suddenly coming back. Optimus' scream soon joined it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I'm not sure if Optimus and Shockwave will be staying as friends, or have a romantic relationship develop between them


	9. Dark Cybertron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> __
> 
> _“...No law compels me to fight;  
>  None has sent me out to fight  
> Except my deep love for my own..”  
> _~A Warrior’s Lament, Nnamdi Olebara; __101 Poems Against War__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t too sure about Cybertronians having Royal Titles, but it felt right to put them in.
> 
> Oh, and **MERRY XMAS EVERYONE! I HOPE YOU ALL HAD AN AMAZING DAY!! XXOO**

_**POWER CHIP RECTIFIER — UPGRADING** _

_**98%...** _

Bright lights blinded him. _Can’t move... Cables_. He pulled against them, audios registering someone shouting from far away. Something hard hit his servos and legs. _Ground is awfully close_.

“Optimus.” The familiar voice sounded far away. “Optimus, calm down. You’re safe.”

“Sh... Shockwave?” _Why is my voice so quiet?_ Slowly, his optics reset, taking in the damage around him. One of the walls has been singed by an electric whip. “Quintus... Matrix... Uni... cron...”

 _Clear that processor of thought for a moment_ , Quintus’ voice spoke. _Focus. Use the Matrix to regain your energy_.

Venting, Optimus focused on the warmth of the Matrix, willing it to spread. Slowly, his frame stopped sagging. A servo reached out, but he waved it away. “One moment, please.”

That’s when he felt the odd sensation of controlling something that was _not_ there before. “Is that..?”

“Tentacles? Yes.” Megatron’s voice spoke. His optics were narrowed. “Are you alright? What happened?”

Optimus stared at him. Blinked. “Your optics are white again.”

“... You just fragging _offlined_ and that’s what you have to say?” Megatron asked, incredulous.

“I offline all the time, brother. Nothing new there. Shockwave, can you help me up please?”

Shockwave nodded, careful as he helped the Knight up. Not wanting to risk the Knight falling over, Shockwave kept one of his arms wrapped loosely around Optimus’ waist.

Leaning into the scientist, Optimus continued. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how long I can stay awake right now. Tell the others whatever you want — fainted due to lack of energon, or something along those lines. But for the Council, my counterpart and you four, here is the truth: Quintus Prime has decided in order to defeat Unicron, my Quintesson side has to be activated. Unfortunately, yes, I am half Quintesson. No, I did not agree to this change. And yes, the Matrix has been activated as a result. Ratchet, you can run check-ups tomorrow. Now, Shockwave, is there a spare bedroom here I can stay in?”

“... Affirmative,” Shockwave answered, voice small. His arm tightened slightly.

Optimus frowned, but decided to ask when they didn’t have an audience. Instead, he wrapped the four tentacles coming from his back around his torso. “Could you escort me there please? I can walk.”

The arm tightened further. “Illogical. There is an eighty-seven point six five chance you will fall. Allow me.”

Optimus nodded, and with a wave to the three frozen bots, they left. The arm around him would have been soothing, if not for the fact he felt like some useless weapon filed away in an evidence locker.

Finally, they reached the room. Opening the door, Optimus took a good look around as he was led to the berth. The room was bare, of course, but was big enough to hold a lot of storage.

Wincing at the cool feel of the berth, Optimus looked up at Shockwave and opened his mouth. Closed it.

Shockwave broke the silence. “I shall take my leave.”

Optimus reached out, grabbing his arm. “Shockwave...”

His optic narrowed. “Remove the appendage.”

He withdrew the tentacle. “I... I wanted to apologise.”

Shockwave’s optic merely blinked.

Venting, Optimus continued. “I should not have kept the information about my Quintesson side from you, and for that I am sorry.”

Slowly, Shockwave cradled the Knight’s helm. “That is not what I’m... Angry about. You _offlined_ , and I could do nothing but watch as your spark signature snuffed out for ten long, agonising nanoklicks. I...” He leaned his forehead against the others. “I can’t lose you. Not again.”

Optimus didn’t respond. Instead, he tilted his head. Stopped upon seeing the hesitation. “Too soon?” A nod. “Alright. Could... You stay with me? Not for that; I merely wish to not be alone. You do not have to-”

Shockwave’s huff of amusement left the Knight silent. “I will always be by your side, no matter what. Move over please.”

Optimus did so, and soon enough they were both curled around each other. The way Shockwave curled around him, one arm holding him tightly and the other cushioning his helm... Optimus felt like he was forged to belong there. He nuzzled his helm closer to the warmth of the other’s chassis. “Thank you for being there for me.”

Something brushed the top of his helm. “Thank you for believing in me.”

~0o.o0~ 

“You need to get up.”

Millenia of light recharge had him alert before his processor could catch up. When it did, he loosened his grip on the chassis in front of him and snuggled closer. “They can wait.”

“Optimus...”

Grumbling, he tightened his hold on Shockwave. “It’s only... Oh frag.” Both tensed upon hearing the door opening.

“When do you two plan to get up?” Megatron’s amused voice asked.

Shockwave’s optic cycled, his EM field spiking with mortification.

 _Well, better late than never_. Optimus sat up, giving his brother an unimpressed stare. “Give us a few klicks and we’ll be out.”

Megatron snorted. “Just make sure to be there within twenty klicks.” With that, he turned and left.

Before the silence could get awkward, Optimus looked down at Shockwave and let him go. “Did you recharge well?”

Shockwave hummed. “I did. And you?”

“Better with you there.” He didn’t bother hiding his smile.

Shockwave’s optic cycled, a soft sigh escaping him. “Optimus-”

 _That_ made the Knight sigh. “I know this won’t be easy, but...” He reached out, cradling Shockwave’s helm. “I want to try again. Please.”

“And if _she_ comes back?” The words held so much venom Optimus flinched, taking his servo back. “There is a chance she could, Optimus. You need to think about what Cybertron needs, and it needs allies.”

“Considering I’m half Quintesson, do I truly need Elita-One to co-rule with me? We both know she is like a sister to me; we only bounded for the sake of keeping the Cybertronians and Quintessons from going to war. I want you, Shockwave. I don’t care what anybot else says.”

Shockwave sat up, optic narrowed. “They will not accept me as your partner.”

“Then too fragging bad,” Optimus snapped back. “Why should the masses influence who bounds with who? Even if she comes back, she would support us. And honestly? If Elita-One were to suddenly appear, I’d give her my titles and all I owned if it meant I could be with you.”

Shockwave stared at him. His optic shuttered. “... Truly?”

That one word held so much hope, so much _desperation_ , that Optimus gave in and wrapped his arms around him. “Truly.”

~0o.o0~ 

“Megatron, may I speak with you privately?”

Megatron looked towards Orion, nodding. “Of course. One moment.” He handed Bumblebee over to Halogen, and followed Orion.

Once both of them were out of the meeting room, Orion asked, “Is my counterpart with Shockwave?”

Though expected, Megatron still felt a shock go through his systems. “That... Is a complicated answer. One you should ask your counterpart.”

Orion’s optics narrowed ever so slightly, lips thinning; the only sign he was frustrated. “Of course.”

“Orion, wait.” Megatron took a step forward, placing a servo on his shoulder. “I understand your anger. Don’t give me that look, you’re my little brother no matter what dimension and that means I know how you feel. Optimus was — is the Prime of Cybertron, raised to rule and to put Cybertron before himself. Which meant any true romantic affection had to be put to the side. You were a data clerk — who you were involved with did not become the number one gossip in _all_ of Cybertron.”

Orion’s optics flashed with realisation. “I... I apologise, I had forgotten-”

“Do not apologise, Orion. You were angry; I understand. Now, is there anything else you wish to speak about?”

“Yes. I understand you and my counterpart share a sibling bound. Considering he offlined, are you and Bumblebee alright?”

“It was painful,” Megatron admitted. “More so for Bumblebee. I am able to handle the pain far easier than most, but a sparkling has no wisdom in such things. Thankfully I was able to calm him down, but he still wants his Sire. Ah, and speaking of... Optimus!”

Orion jumped at the sudden bellow, Shockwave doing the same. Megatron grinned as Optimus jumped straight towards Shockwave, armour and tentacles puffing up like a defensive mother cat. After a nanoklick, his armour settled down, the four tentacles wrapping back around his torso. “What was that for?”

“Nothing,” Megatron grinned. “Just relishing in my privileges of being the eldest.”

“You’re the middle child, Megatron,” Optimus retorted, walking over to them with Shockwave on his heels. “Ultra Magnus is the eldest.”

“Which means both of us can bully you without repercussions. Shall we?” He gestured to the meeting room. He probed at his sibling bound gently. _Bumblebee misses you_.

Silence. _I know_.

As soon as they entered, Bumblebee was trying to wriggle out of Halogen’s servos, squealing clicks escaping him. “Sire! Sire!”

Optimus was at Halogen’s side in a moment, gently taking the sparkling with a rumbling chuckle. “Hello, little ‘bee.”

“I believe you have some explaining to do,” Drivetrain interrupted.

Optimus nodded. “I do. To begin with, my sudden collapse was to do with the Matrix onlining via Quintus Prime’s doing. He informed me the only way to defeat Unicron was to activate my Quintesson side. I told him I refused, but he had made up his mind. However, onlining the Matrix has come with a serious drawback — it will only be active for a few days, maybe weeks. We do not have a lot of time to defeat Unicron before...” At this, he stopped, optics lowering to Bumblebee.

Megatron flinched at the pain, sending a wave of comfort back. He kept his voice soft. “Before what, Optimus?”

“With the Matrix offline, Unicron will be able to take back control, and I might not be able to hold him back.” He looked around the room, optics and voice serious. “I need all of you to swear that if Unicron takes control of my body, offline me. Do not hesitate. Do not falter. Go low and for my left side as I swing — that’s my blind spot.”

“No.” The answer came from both Megatron and Shockwave, the latter continuing. “I refuse to offline you, Optimus. We will find a way to bring you back, no matter the consequences.”

Megatron nodded. “I agree with Shockwave. You are my brother, Optimus. I will not lose you when I only got you back a few days ago.”

Optimus shook his head. “I have been brought back far too many times. I do not deserve to be brought back again, not after-”

“Deserving or not, I will not let you be offlined,” Shockwave hissed, armour starting to puff up. “We will bring you back.”

The desperate hope in Optimus’ optics left a hollow feeling in Megatron. He had seen that look a few times. “Onto the other matter, do we know when Unicron will appear?”

Optimus paused. “With our luck, we are most likely going to have to deal with him within a few days. We will need to prepare ourselves, the autobots and decepticons.”

“How?” Ratchet asked.

“We cannot offline him. However, we can put him into statis.”

Halogen spoke. “The Matrix of Leadership.”

“... Yes. Unicron is located at the core of this planet-” Optimus stopped, helm tilting. “I have just realised that the humans are therefore spawns of Unicron and our cousins.”

“Lovely, we’re cousins to _squishies_ ,” Megatron grumbled. “Disgusting.”

“Quite,” Optimus agreed, amused. “In any case, we will need the decepticons and autobots to distract Unicron long enough for me to get to him.”

“That might not end well.” Starscream stepped forward. “What would happen to you if you used the Matrix against him, and it didn’t work? Your Matrix is still fairly weak, my Lord; you may not make it.”

Silence.

“I will,” Orion said. He looked to Optimus. “Out of both of us, I am not at such as a high risk as you are. I have given Jack the Key to Vector Sigma as a failsafe.”

“... What?” Optimus asked, staring at his counterpart. “You do realise how dangerous the Key is?”

Orion frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The Key to Vector Sigma is created by the twelve members of the Functionist Council combining together,” Optimus answered.

Jazz made a face. “Damn aftholes, they were. Cruel what they did to the disposable class.”

Megatron nodded. “Thank Primus for Dominus Ambus challenging the system. With one of the House’s advocating against them, it gave a chance for the Senate to interfere.”

“House’s?” Orion asked, helm tilting. “I haven’t heard of House Ambus. I read of Decimus and Magnus in the archives.”

Optimus answered. “House Ambus was a unique house. Dominus and his brother Minimus were load-bearers, a specific variety of Point One Percenters. He was Rewind of Lower Petrohex’s Conjunx Endura. They left Cybertron before the war to search for Luna 1, to find the cure for Cybercrosis.”

“Point-One Percenters are quite rare,” Ratchet commented. “I wonder if they are alive in this dimension? Their abilities could be helpful.”

“Good thing there is three in this room,” Bluestreak said. “Lord Optimus, Lord Megatron and Senator Shockwave are Point-One Percenters. Which would mean the three in this dimension are too.”

Optimus nodded. “Indeed.”

Orion’s optics narrowed in thought. “You said before that Ultra Magnus is your older brother, though both of you do not use the house name Magnus.”

“Technically, my designation is Optimus Prime-Magnus.” Optimus shrugged at the looks he received from Orion and Ratchet. “It’s easier to introduce myself as Optimus Prime.”

“I feel like we need to do a formal introduction,” Megatron mused. “After all, it is polite to do so.”

“What are all your titles?” Ratchet asked.

“They are pretty long...” Megatron looked to his brother. “Shall we introduce each other?”

“I’ll begin,” Optimus nodded. “Allow me to introduce His Imperial Majesty Lord High Protector Megatron of Cybertron, leader of the Military Division, Defender of Faith, Knight of Cybertron, member of house Magnus and second heir of the late Sentinel Prime, the first leader of Cybertron and former leader of the tribe known as the Autobots. Also former Emperor of Destruction of the Decepticons.”

Megatron grinned. “His Imperial Majesty Lord Optimus Prime, Prime of Cybertron, leader of the Science Division, member of house Magnus and Prime, reincarnation of the Thirteenth Prime who is also known as The Arisen, Knight of Cybertron, first heir of the late Sentinel Prime.” He paused, but decided to tell them of his brother’s other titles.

“Son of Quintessa, former Prime and Judge of Quintesson, and His Grace the Duke of Quintesson via sparkbound to Elita-One, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Quintesson. Former Supreme Commander of the Autobots.”

Everybot went silent, though only two bots were in shock. Ratchet looked stuck between disgust and shock, optics narrowed and mouth curling slightly. Orion’s optic-ridge’s were raised in surprise, optics shuttering.

“Elita-One is a _Quintesson_?” Ratchet hissed, shaking his helm. “Impossible.”

“Primus, this dimension is really different from ours,” Drivetrain said, Halogen nodding in agreement. “Next we’ll hear that the Matrix of Leadership isn’t a Sun Harvester.”

“Sun Harvester?” Orion asked, voice small.

“The Matrix of Leadership powered Cybertron by destroying suns,” Megatron explained. “Without it, Cybertron and its inhabitants would oxidise and rust. The Primes set out with one rule: never destroy a planet that holds life. Megatronous Prime broke that rule, and fought his brothers for the Matrix. They had no choice but to hide it, in a tomb made of their very own bodies.”

“A tomb in Egypt,” Optimus added. “I wonder if their bodies are there in this dimension too.”

“They aren’t,” Ratchet said. “Orion had obtained the Matrix of Leadership on Cybertron.”

He looked to his counterpart. “You only became Prime via the Matrix, then?” A nod. “Then you would already be aware that you will lose all memories of being a Prime?”

“I am,” Orion answered. “The Key can only be activated on Cybertron. Megatron has the means of getting there.”

“I can convince my counterpart to let us use it,” Megatron said. “Considering _you_ certainly can’t.”

“In my defence, Unicron hates both of you equally.” Optimus shrugged. “Which I find understandable.”

Megatron shook his helm. “I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you have torn off half my face, tore out my spinal cord, and beheaded me with your axe... Which you still haven’t apologised for!”

“You shoved a flaming sword through my chassis,” he shot back. “As the humans say, karma’s a...” Optimus glanced at Bee, deciding to mouth ‘ _bitch_ ’.

“Primus, you two are unbelievable,” Bluestreak muttered. “Jazz, how did you put up with this?”

“Stayed out of it,” Jazz replied. “And when I didn’t good ol’ Megatron here tore me in half.”

“Ah, my apologies,” Megatron said.

Jazz waved a servo. “I woulda done the same.” He paused. “Well, not so brutally.”

Shockwave shook his helm, muttering, “Autobots.”

Optimus nudged him. “They’re not all hard-afts like you, Shockwave.”

“That was uncalled for.”

Optimus went to respond, only to stop when Bumblebee reached towards Shockwave. Smiling, he held the youngling out. “Would you like to hold him?”

Shockwave hesitated, but took the youngling, cradling him carefully to his chassis. He looked down, meeting wide blue-green optics. He smiled softly. Remembering what he knew of younglings, he let a low rumble emit from his chassis to help settle the youngling. Bumblebee snuggled closer, optics starting to close.

He looked up to see Optimus watching him with a soft expression. Shaking his helm, Shockwave said quietly, “You are ruining my terrifying scientist image.”

“That was ruined a while ago,” Optimus replied, smiling. He looked to the others. “Onto other pressing matters-”

“We can discuss it later,” Halogen interrupted. “I believe your son requires some comfort from his parental units, and Ratchet needs to run a check-up on you, my Lord.”

Optimus looked to his brother for support, but only received a smirk. “I will use the rest of my afternoon to fill in my counterpart.”

Venting, Optimus said, “Alright. Ratchet, would you rather use the medical bay here or at your base?”

“Here is fine,” Ratchet replied. “Shall we?”

~0o.o0~ 

“Your power chip rectifier has been upgraded, resulting in the four tentacles. Have you had any trouble with them?”

Optimus shook his helm. “No.” His servo twitched, digits tapping the cold berth he was seated on. “Though, they seem to have a mind of their own at times. They grab things before my servo has a chance to move towards the object.”

“It is perfectly normal,” Ratchet said. “Being new limbs, it will take a while to get used to controlling them. Simply give it time and practice being aware of them.”

“Understood,” Optimus nodded. Paused. “Yes, Ratchet, I am quite content with Shockwave. If you have any specific questions about myself and Shockwave, feel free to ask.”

“Oh, I have plenty of specific questions,” Ratchet said dryly, starting to put away his tools. “As does your counterpart.”

“... Ah, this is going to be _fun_ , isn’t it? Well,” he shrugged, “at least I can handle a punch to the face-plate. He is not going to be happy.”

A scoff. “I do not believe he will hit you-”

“Ratchet, my counterpart is deeply in love with Elita-One, just as I am with Shockwave. If I were in his pedes, I would do the same. We are good at hiding emotions, as a result of the Matrix - after all, it does dampen our emotions if we so wish it. But when it comes to love?” Optimus shook his helm. “The Matrix can try all it wants, but it cannot dampen our emotions when it comes to our loved ones. He was inconsolable when she died, wasn’t he?”

Ratchet paused, optics flashing.

“He became short-tempered, focused on nothing more than revenge,” he continued. “One by one, more of those he cared about offlined. The Matrix would keep him balanced, ensuring that he wouldn’t become unstable. It tampered his anger, yes, but that only allows it to build till it becomes a burning, overwhelming sensation in your spark. And soon enough, that feeling must be let out lest he burn.”

“And is that what happened to you?” The question was quiet, but it still seemed to echo in the large room.

A heavy ache settled in his chassis. “I watched as Jazz was torn in half, Ironhide killed by my traitorous mentor Sentinel Prime, my autobots murdered... Sam tortured and killed for keeping my location a secret. I saw Lockdown tear your spark out of your chassis, days after the human race betrayed me and my people. I flew into space without a ship, and floated for months in statis completely frozen till I landed on a decaying Cybertron. I met my Creator, a Quintesson - I found out that day I was a _half-breed_ , nothing more than a pawn whose use was no longer needed. And that very same day, Unicron possessed me and...”

His chassis grew tight, the words stuck in his vocal box, being forced out with a static sound. “I best leave and speak with my counterpart. Thank you for your assistance, Ratchet.” He stood up quickly, making a beeline for the exit.

“Optimus, wait.”

He paused, turning around to meet sad optics.

“For what it is worth, you have done a commendable job. Not many can hold out as long as you have.”

Optimus hesitated, but decided to simply nod and murmur, “Thank you.” With that, he left the med bay and took his time walking down the hallway. _Three... Two... One..._

Pedes sounded behind him. Stopping, Optimus turned to face his annoyed counterpart. “Orion. I believe you have questions; please, join me in the meeting room.” He gestured to said room, that was only a few paces away. A cold feeling settled in his chassis.

Orion nodded, following his counterpart into the room. As soon as the door closed, he spoke. “Why?”

Optimus tilted his helm. Inwardly, he was impressed by his counterpart’s self control. Outwardly, he raised an optic ridge, voice bored. “Other than the fact she is with the Allspark? We only bounded for the purpose of stopping a war between the Cybertronians and Quintessons.”

“Don’t you love her?” Orion asked, his voice starting to sharpen.

 _Ah, there we go_. “Like a sister. She was my closest and longest-serving officer in the war.”

“What happened?”

“Long story short, she was offlined, and later resurrected by a decepticon scientist known as Flatline. Eventually, she was offlined again, by Shockwave.”

“ _Shockwave_?” The word was sharper, venom dripping off each word. “And yet you are... Are...”

“Deeply in love with said mech?” Optimus shrugged. “We were together before the war, and a little while longer when I was sparkbounded. Shockwave didn’t wish to be some dirty secret, and I agreed. Elita-One wanted us to stay together, but she understood Shockwave’s feelings. Far better than I did.”

“She supported it?”

“She did,” Optimus nodded. His optics narrowed, slowly straightening himself to his full height. “I had all of Cybertron watching my every move. You? You were nothing but a middle caste archivist. No one cared who you fragged. Tell me, what did Elita-One do before joining the autobots?”

“She was a dockworker,” Orion answered.

“Hmph, she would have been in the low caste; the Elita-One of my dimension would blow a fuse.” Optimus smirked. “Ah, but that is Quintessons for you. Self-absorbed and controlling.”

“Are you?”

He paused. “Self-absorbed? I have put my people before me many a time. Controlling? Of course - a Prime must be in control of both themselves and their people. You cannot lead a whole planet without being a bit controlling.”

“And the Senate?” Orion asked, optics narrowing. “The Functionist Council? If you truly were the Prime of Cybertron, you would have disbanded the council.”

“Reform is the answer, not revolution. It needed to be course-corrected. Besides, the Functionist Council had been in place for eons, before even I was forged. The process of getting rid of them would be slow, especially with the Quintessons influence. They also had their uses. The caste-system itself is, fundamentally, a good idea. The Council and Senate merely went around it wrong.”

“The caste-system is the reason Cybertron offlined.”

Optimus waved a servo. “Cybertron was bound to fall sooner or later. You are aware of the prophecy, Dark Cybertron?”

Orion shook his helm. “I am not.”

“ _A sunrise dark shall cast fall upon the empire_ ,” Optimus began, optics staring at the wall. “ _And time will rust. And he shall stand alone while not alone. And adorned the titan will be in black metal. And the stars shall scream... And the symbol of the uncreator shall be clear. And his gaze shall unravel the legacy of Primus. Thus shall the adversary rise. A black star. Unstopped and unstoppable_.”

Venting, Optimus looked to his counterpart. “When I had been The Arisen, I should have ended the corrupt line then and there. I did not. Now, our world is dead. We killed countless others in revenge. It has, and most likely always, been the Cybertronian way. How many wars have our kind participated in? Not all will accept living a peaceful life, Orion. Sooner or later, we must accept that when this war does end, it will only go back to how it once was. There will be another Golden Age, but war is inevitable.”

“War does not need to be inevitable,” Orion argued. “If enough of us believe in the inherent good, that people can change, we can stop evil.”

“Stop evil?” A chuckle. “You are still so _naive_. Evil can be subdued, but never truly destroyed. Unicron could be destroyed, but that will not stop his followers. We could even wipe out all his followers, but that will only cause rebellion.”

 _Then simply offline them too_ , Liege Maximo snarled.

Optimus paused, helm tilting. _I have to be honest - I did not miss you. At all_. “Hold onto that belief, Orion, and you will crash and burn. I too once believed that evil could be vanquished. I was wrong.”

Orion stared at him, frowning. “What made you stop believing?”

“When humanity turned against us. They slaughtered my autobots, slaughtered _Ratchet_ , and melted them so they could make their own machines.” A snarl tugged at his lips. “We are not their machines!”

“And what did you do to them?”

“I destroyed their building, and later offlined their creations, and Lockdown and Attinger.”

“Attinger?” Orion asked, disapproval clear in his voice.

“He tried to offline Cade,” Optimus shrugged. “Cade was the only human I trusted. Instead of turning me in, he repaired me. He also protected me at the risk of losing his daughter.” He paused, smiling softly. “Ratchet would have liked him.”

“You cared for him.”

“He was a good friend, and the reason I gave the human race a second chance. If it wasn’t for him... I would have left Earth to their fate.” _And in return for his kindness, I shot him_.

Orion stayed quiet for a moment. “What happened to him?”

Optimus hesitated, looking down with a heavy spark. “He was offlined. Do you have any more questions?”

“No.”

“I shall take my leave then. Do not be afraid to seek me out if you wish to ask me something later. Till all are one.” With that, Optimus left the room, barely listening to Orion’s farewell.


End file.
